The Feared Shadow
by chibidumpling1198
Summary: The GoM are known throughout the continent of Teikou as fearsome generals and kings. But there's a rumor that another person is acknowledged by them, the phantom sixth person. They don't know his name nor the country he rules, the only thing they do know is that meeting him on the battle ground is ultimate death. AU Fem!Kuroko AkaKuro
1. The Generation of Miracles

**Hello! This is my first time writing a fanfic and I would like to see how I did so constructive criticism is welcome. Please R&R, thanks!**

**Disclaimer:I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or the characters, they belong to Fujimaki Tadatoshi. I do however own this story line.**

**Enjoy the story~**

* * *

On the continent, Teikou, there are five countries that boast wealth and power. These five countries are Rakuzan, Touou, Kaijo, Yosen, and Shutoku. The rulers of these countries are dubbed the Generation of Miracles because they brought their countries the power and wealth others didn't think were possible before their reign. In addition to being outstanding rulers they are also fearsome generals. Meeting them on the battle ground meant ultimate defeat and other countries often surrendered to prevent losing more casualties. But rumor has it that the Generation of Miracles acknowledges one other ruler as their companion. They say this mysterious companion is more deadly in the war zone than any other. To think that there's someone that surpasses those monsters called the Generation of Miracles induced fear in many other countries. But the strange thing was that he was never seen on the battlefield, not even once. People at the battle claimed they didn't see anyone, but people mysteriously fell dead one after another. No one knows his name nor the country he rules as it was kept confidential. Others assumed it was just a rumor with no truth behind it and dismissed it, while others nicknamed him the phantom of the Generation of Miracles.

* * *

Footsteps echoed in the massive room toward the shadowed figure sitting regally on the red and golden throne. With a wave of his hand, he gestured for the person to talk.

"Sir, the situation in Kaijo is getting out of hand. Criminals are on the loose everywhere in the country and recently they've sneaked across the borders into Touou and Shutoku. They've been reporting burglaries and murders non-stop since last week, but the King of Kaijo couldn't care less and has been ignoring them."

"Hm, is that so," the shadowed figure murmured in a sadistic tone. "Has Touou and Shutoku showed any signs of starting a war?"

"Yes, they've started preparing weapons and are gathering people into the army. They are waiting for you to tell them to proceed."

"Tell them it's unnecessary and to eliminate any thoughts of war. I will settle this in two days."

"Sir, bu-" She fell into silence when a scissor whizzed by her head, almost grazing her cheek.

"Are you doubting my abilities?" He asked in any icy tone. He motioned for the woman to come forward until she was in arms reach. He slid his hand along her jaw bone and lifted her chin up with his index finger. He looked directly into her eyes and with a smirk he said, "You think I'm not capable of handling this pest of a problem?" She knew better than to talk back and just shook her head. "Good, then notify the Generation of Miracles and tell them to arrive at the usual place by tomorrow afternoon. Oh, and also invite the prince of Kaijo as well. Make sure he gets the message separately from the king and comes without anyone knowing." He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her response and forced a "Yes, Sir" out of her trembling mouth. He grinned and released his spell on the girl to see her walking quickly out the door.

* * *

Later that day in Touou

"What did you say?!" The King narrowed his eyes and glared at the trembling messenger. Momoi whacked him on the back of the head and glared at the tanned King, silently telling him to keep his temper in check. "Please continue," the bluenette huffed in an agitated tone. The messenger glanced nervously at Momoi then the King before continuing. "In addition to the dismissal of the war, King Akashi requests for your presence at the usual place tomorrow afternoon." Aomine narrowed his eyes at that and dismissed the messenger. Once the door clicked into place he started his rampage.

"Ha! As if I need him to deal with my kingdom's problems," the bluenette retorted.

"But on the other hand Ahomine, he can deal with this with a flick of his hand, so maybe we should be grateful instead…" Momoi said thoughtfully.

"Stop calling me that! Anyways, I don't care anymore, as long as he stops that bastard." After several moments of tense silence, he glanced at Momoi who was standing next to him when he thought he saw something coming from her direction from the corner of his eye. He gaped, horrified as her eyes turned into hearts. Flowers and sparkles danced around her. He just stared at her with a 'what the hell is wrong with you' face. She didn't notice the stare she was getting because she was still off in her own dreamland. He couldn't take it anymore and just said "What's wrong with you now?!"

In a daze she replied enthusiastically, "If we are having a meeting at the usual place that means everyone will be there and I'll see Tami-chaaaaan! I haven't seen her in forever!" she gushed. Aomine deadpanned at the 'revelation' and just sighed. Even though the three of them were childhood friends, he sometimes wondered if Momoi swung the other way since she always stuck to the bluenette. 'Well, I can't really blame her…she is really pretty.' A faint blush appeared on his face but he quickly dismissed the thought. "Well it would be pretty nice to see Tami again…but try not to suffocate her this time."

"What are you talking about Daiki? I should be warning _you_. You always challenge her to a sword fight any chance you can get."

King Aomine smirked. "Can't help it, she's the only one besides Akashi that can entertain me. And Akashi is a pain to fight, not to mention scary."

"That's true…" Aomine jumped in his seat as Momoi started exclaiming excitedly about her beloved Tami-chan again.

"She's so cool when she fights! I can't wait to see her! Tami-chaaaan, don't worry we'll be able to see each other soon!" and sped out the room. Aomine face palmed before following her to start the preparations for the long trip to Akashi's.

* * *

At the same time in Shutoku

His eyebrow twitched dangerously as he listened to the messenger and recalled what his privately appointed astrologist, Osamu Asa, had told him this morning. _Your luck is second to worst today and your lucky item is a dandelion. You will receive unexpected news and your plans for the day will get thrown out the window as you start a long journey._ 'Osamu Asa is truly always right,' the green haired king thought as he sighed heavily. He dismissed the messenger and twiddled with the white dandelion in his grasp. 'What the hell is he planning this time? Well, he is always unpredictable but this is ridiculous!'

"Takao," Midorima called, frustrated.

"Hai?!" Takao responded cheerfully, ignoring the foul mood the King was obviously in.

"Get the carriage ready within five minutes."

"What?!" the royal advisor groaned. "That's impos-"

Midorima whipped his head around to glare at the official through his thick framed, black glasses; challenging him to talk back. Takao instantly shut up and sighed as he dashed out the make the necessary preparations.

* * *

At the same time in Yosen

"Eh? Aka-chin wants a meeting?" The purple headed King murmured around a lollipop. "It's an order from Aka-chin so we have to go… but it's so far!" the childish king whined. Wanting to cheer him up, Himuro Tatsuya, his trusty second in command, approached the pouting figure.

"But there's that limited addition flavored cotton candy you wanted there," he suggested, chuckling. At this, Murasakibara looked at his best friend with stars in his eyes.

"I want some! No, I need it! Let's go right now Muro-chin!" he pleaded while staring at Tatsuya with puppy eyes. Smiling, he nodded and let himself be pulled out of the room to pack their things. 'Maybe I shouldn't have said that after all.' He sighed inwardly as he thought about the long trip with the child high on caffeine.

* * *

At the same time in Seiren

"Does he think that we have nothing to do besides listen to him?! Tch, so annoying, I don't want to travel all the way to Rakuzan."

"We can't help it Kagami-kun, it's Akashi-kun we're talking about."

"But if he summons the Generation of Miracles doesn't it mean that there's something seriously wrong? It probably has to do with the increasingly frequent murders and thievery in Shutoku and Touou." Kuroko's expression darkened at the mention of the growing predicament in the neighboring countries.

Kagami shivered and gulped at the sight of an angry and pissed off Kuroko. If there was one thing the powder blue haired Queen hated, it was people who were irresponsible and violent which perfectly described a certain King of Kaijo.

After finding his courage to speak again, Kagami furrowed his eyebrows and said, "I'm just glad they haven't made their way here yet."

He was met with Kuroko's icy stare and internally gulped. 'Oh, shit what did I say wrong now?'

"Are we supposed to be glad that we're not suffering when others are? Are we supposed to remain ignorant and pretend nothing's wrong as long it doesn't happen to us?" Kuroko asked in her usual monotone, but there was a dangerous glint in her usually blank eyes.

"N-No, that's not what I meant! Of course I'm worried about the situation in Touou and Shutoku. I could never turn a blind eye just because it's not us in that situation and especially because it's our friends, well if we can call them that…But I'm just glad that you're not in danger. I'm worried about you…" A light blush spread across his face and he looked anywhere but at Kuroko. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly when he realized how corny and out of character that sounded.

After a few moments of silence, Kagami glanced at Kuroko's face to see a happy and amused twinkle in her eyes even though her face remained deadpanned.

"Thanks, Kagami-kun but please say that _after_ you beat me at swordplay."

He widened his eyes in wonder at the minuscule smile on his best friend's face.

Besides, I can protect myself, look at these guns," and she flexed his arms to show, sadly nothing.

"You don't have any!" Kagami scowled and wondered how the hell she kept a straight face saying that.

The bluenette pouted slightly at this and murmured, "We need to pack for the trip," and walked down the corridor with Kagami following briskly shouting "Oi! Wait up."

'We should be more worried about the situation in Kaijo…It must be hell there right now," the blunette thought, her face grim and eyes hardened.

* * *

A tentative knock sounded on the door of the King's bedroom. "What is it?! Can't you see I'm not to be bothered right now?" the King growled.

"B-But your highness, it's an urgent message from King Akashi," the messenger said nervously.

With a grunt the King signaled the man to come in. The official's eyes bulged at the scene and tried with no avail to keep calm. The King was seated on a plush red couch with gold linings in the corner of the room where he was surrounded with numerous women clad in nothing but skimpy lingerie. To make it worst they were all in suggestive positions with one of them seated on his lap.

Blushing furiously, the messenger tried to quickly pass on the message from Akashi to the King before him but he stuttered and barely made it understandable before glancing up from his scroll to meet cold silver eyes. "Are you trying to mess with me?" His eyes flashed and reminded the man of how a predator would look at its prey right before they pounced. 'D-Dangerous…' the messenger thought as he started sweating profusely and his legs started to tremble like a cornered animal's.

"Stop wasting my time and get out," he lashed out sending the messenger scurrying out of the room. Not in the mood for any more 'fun' he kicked the women out as well and proceeded to trashing his room in anger. 'Don't think I'll listen to you forever Akashi.'

* * *

Kise scowled in disgust as he looked out a window that faced the city. Outside the palace gates it was filthy; the streets were littered with trash and rats can be seen running back and forth down the paths. With thieves and murderers running rampant there were hardly any people out on the streets even though it was still bright out. The market place was deserted, people too scared of the potential dangers to sell their goods in the city with the exception of a few brave souls to feed the whole population. But due to that, prices sky rocketed and few could afford the bare minimum to survive. Many citizens died of starvation or illnesses with the lack of medicine in the city. Food, medicine, and other luxuries however were delivered directly to the palace where you were safe from the horrors everyone else had to face. The King paid the citizens no mind and continued on with his life as if it had nothing to do with him. The people had their hands full with trying to survive and didn't have the time or energy to protest against the King.

Kise, horrified at the state the city was in, would often sneak food out of the palace, with bodyguards of course, and give food to the citizens. Kise's heart broke more times than he can remember.

_He stood in the town square, surrounded by children that looked so skinny and fragile, they looked like they were going to break if you touched them, giving out food. 'How could Aniki ignore these children as they cling to that thin string of hope to survive?' He listened to them as they told him their stories and received tearful thank you's from the adults. "Prince Kise is the best! Thank you very much your highness!" Children shouted out gratefully. Kise particularly remembered a little girl at the edge of the group of child surrounding him. She had short black hair and freckles decorated her cheeks. Like the others, she was so skinny she looked like she was going to break. Her complexion was sickly pale and the bones in her arms and legs jagged out, looking like it was about to break through her skin. She wore dark brown rags and the shoes she wore were falling apart. But that wasn't what caught Kise's attention. It was her eyes, her light brown eyes showed defiance, anger, and her strong will to live._

_After the crowd dispersed with Kise asking his numerous body guards to walk the children home, he went up to the little girl, offering her an apple. She looked at him briefly before quickly snatching the apple from his hand, like she was afraid someone would beat her to it. _

_"Akira! That's not nice. Say sorry!" Kise turned around to see a an middle aged women who resembled the little girl before him, Akira. Seeing as how Akira wouldn't apologize, the women bowed deeply and said, "I'm so sorry your highness. Please excuse my daughter, I will be sure to discipline her."_

_Surprised, Kise quickly said, "It's alright, she's just a child after all." By this time Akira made her way toward her house. Alarmed, the women quickly went after her to make sure she didn't fall prey to the criminals lurking in the alleys; but not before she insisted on treating the prince to a cup of tea. Deciding to let the women have her way, Kise followed her to her house. _

_The 'house' was more like a shack. The wooden boards that made up the house were barely holding together and the only window was cracked. Kise carefully settled into one of the two chairs available around a small wooden table and continued to look around. There was a small, if not non-existent kitchen tucked into the back left corner of the room he was in. To the right, was a doorway Kise assumed led to the only bedroom in the house. The place was run-down but well kept, or was as well kept as it could possibly be, and clean. The old women opened the single cupboard in the kitchen and pulled out a tiny metal container of tea leaves. She settled a kettle of water on the handmade 'fireplace'. It was a cluster of stones on the ground with a ring of larger stones to keep the fire from spreading. A pile of wood sitting on top was set ablaze and the black kettle sat on top. Waiting for the water to boil, the women seated herself across the table from Kise. _

_"How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Himura Eiko. I'm truly very sorry for my daughter's behavior before."_

_"It really is alright. But if I may ask, why did she seem to…"_

_"To dislike you?" Himura finished his sentence for him. She had a little smile on her face but her eyes were full of sadness and something else Kise couldn't quite make out. "It's a long story but if you don't mind, I would like you to hear it."_

_"Sure, it would be a pleasure to hear your story." Although Kise knew it wasn't going to be a happy one, he felt he had to hear it. Something told him not doing so would make him regret it forever._

At that point in time, Kise still didn't fully realize how scary reality really was. He was a naïve, spoiled prince kept safely inside the castle walls. But he soon learned his lesson, the harshness of mere survival, because the story he heard next was forever seared into his memory.

* * *

**Gomenasai! I know this chapter is really boring but this is necessary to set up the story so please bare with it. I promise it'll get better! Please tell me what you thought of it. :)**


	2. Arriving in Rakuzan

**This chapter took longer than I thought...I had a lot of trouble deciding the direction of the plot but I finally settled on this. With the addition of random details and ideas popping into my head, I took a while to jot and connect everything together for the future chapters. Hopefully it'll come together later...Sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoy this chapter~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or the characters, Tadatoshi Fujimaki does. I only own this plot and any OC that may come up.**

* * *

It was the middle of the night when Kise found himself bumping along the road in a small carriage. He sighed heavily as he knew he wasn't going to get any sleep and would look like a panda in the morning. 'Why do I have to go separately from Aniki? And in this secretive manner as well?' He sighed again as he thought back to the day's earlier events.

_Kise was in his bedroom, about to settle into bed when he sensed someone behind him. Alarmed, he quickly equipped himself with a knife from under his pillow. Before he could attack, he was stopped in his tracks as he saw the man before him, fully clothed in black, to bow down. Looking closely, he noticed that his only weapon was sheathed at his hip. Thinking the man wasn't an immediate danger, Kise lowered his knife slightly but still kept his guard. The prince's eyes narrowed as he spotted the stranger slowly pull off his glove. 'What's he doing? Does he a weapon hidden there?' The man faced his palm toward Kise and he froze. The prince spotted a blazing red 'A' painted in an elegant script and it sent shivers throughout his body as he recognized that symbol. Everyone knew that symbol, it stood for Akashi Seijurou. The most feared and powerful man in history. Kise gulped as he put away his knife. If Akashichi sent a private messenger then this was serious business. _

_"King Akashi requests for your presence at his palace tomorrow at noon. You are not to let anyone else know of your absence and will be going there separately from your brother who is also headed there. Your brother has already set off earlier today so he will have no way of knowing you left the palace. You will however, beat your brother to Rakuzan because he is resting at another city while we are heading there without stopping. Rest assured, King Akashi knows of the situation in Kaijo and has sent his best guards to protect you during the trip."_

_ Kise just stood there as he let it all sink in. "Wait! This is all too sudden. Why does Akashichi want to meet with me?" 'I'm only the prince, a position that is only for show with no real power behind it. Akashichi has no reason for wanting to meet with me. If it's about the situation in Kaijo right now then Aniki should be the only one summoned.' _

_ "Your questions will be answered by King Akashi once you arrive," he replied. "We have to depart now to arrive at Rakuzan in time, so please get ready." Kise knew it was suicide to defy Akashi so he quickly got dressed and followed the man out into a carriage, heading to Rakuzan._

* * *

**Later that day in Rakuzan**

"Mou, do we really have to do this Daiki?"

"Of course. We have to give a warm welcome to Tami."

"If you hurt her Daiki, I'm going to bash you."

Aomine scoffed, "Me? Hurt her? You're worrying about the wrong person."

"Who the hell would worry about you? Anyways, can't I greet her first before you start attacking?"

"Are you stupid? That would eliminate the element of surprise. She would pick up that something's off if I'm not there with you."

"I'll just tell her that you went off to stuff your face in town," Momoi explained.

"Shut up and just stay still, I think she's coming."

* * *

"We're finally here, took long enough. Ugh, I think I pulled something back there," Kagami groaned as he stretched and let out a big yawn.

They are currently heading to the garden behind the palace, walking along the edge of the courtyard to get there.

Kuroko sighed as she remembered Kagami literally bolting out of the carriage when they arrived. Being confined in a carriage for several hours was like hell for Kagami. "What are you, an old man?"

"Oi! You little-" Kagami never finished his sentence as he gasped and then gaped in awe. They've arrived at the garden and he saw hundreds and hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of peonies spread out in every direction at his feet. The field of colorful flowers seemed endless as he scanned the garden. On the left were several sakura and wisteria trees. The soft colors the flowers cast down along with the shade they provided, created the perfect spot to sit and relax on the wooden benches situated there. Far ahead on the right, Kagami spotted a brilliant white pavilion which stood out like a sore thumb in the field of flowers. Kagami stood at the entrance of the garden in a daze as he absorbed his surroundings. "The king of flowers," Kuroko said simply, as she walked on a small stone path towards the pavilion, with peonies surrounding her on both sides. Kagami widened his eyes. 'Are you serious? Isn't he overdoing it a bit? The king of flowers my ass! As if anyone doesn't already know that he's the king. And _this_ is the meeting place for the Generation of Miracles?! What the fuck is happening?'

Kuroko who was a few steps ahead of him, turned and bent down towards a red peony. She closed her eyes and had a peaceful expression on her face as she inhaled its sweet scent. And to Kagami's shock, she smiled. Not a miniscule one, but a full, sincere smile. When she opened her eyes he saw sparkles dancing is her eyes along with a look of contentment. A fire exploded across Kagami's face as he stared at the petite girl before him. Kuroko turned towards him with her wide unblinking eyes with a confused tilt of her head, wondering why Kagami was staring at her. 'Cuuuuute!' Kagami internally screamed.

"Um, Kagami-kun. Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Kagami stuttered out when he found his voice.

"Because you're bleeding."

"Huh?" Kagami then noticed the trickle of liquid flowing from his nose, down his chin, and onto his clothes. "Shit!" About to quickly cover it up, to stop embarrassing himself any longer, he stared wide eyed as Kuroko offered him her handkerchief. After a moment of hesitation he took it and mumbled, "Thanks," all the while avoiding her gaze as he felt his face heat up again.

"It's nothing, come on let's go."

The walk to the pavilion was filled with a comfortable silence. Kuroko silently admired the flowers and Kagami kept replaying the scene of Kuroko smiling in his mind. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and froze as he realized something that sent him a shock of dread. 'Bastard,' Kagami growled silently, as he realized that he had another fierce opponent for the bluenette. 'No wonder this is the meeting place,' Kagami groaned as he continued to follow Kuroko to the pavilion.

* * *

'Hm? I wonder what's wrong.' Kuroko, a few paces ahead, came to an abrupt stop just before the steps of the pavilion. "Hey, Kuroko wha-" his words were caught in his throat as he watched the scene unfold before him. Kuroko had turned sharply to the left, facing the tree right next to the pavilion, simultaneously drawing her sword to block an attack from someone who seemed to have materialized from thin air.

After his brain registered what had happened, he stepped forward to help but hesitated when he recognized the other person.

"Aomine?! What the fuck are you doing to Kuroko?!" he screamed, outraged.

"Just a simple greeting," he stated with a smirk, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He didn't dare to look away from Tamiko as he answered Kagami, because god knows where she would've gone if you looked away for even a second.

Kagami had unsheathed his sword halfway when a new voice came from behind him. "They wouldn't appreciate you interrupting their fight." Kagami turned to see Momoi plucking leaves out of her hair.

The red head gritted his teeth in frustration but made no move to stop them when he realized what Momoi had said was true. Kagami sighed in resignation and looked on with worry, his eyebrows scrunched as he saw Tamiko fight against the tanned bluenette.

* * *

Kuroko grunted as she struggled to hold her ground against Aomine. She was in no way weak, but she was clearly outmatched in this battle of strength. Aomine's physique along with his momentum from jumping off the tree was too much for her. Being on the small side and a girl to boot, she knew how to counter bigger and stronger fighters. How else would've she rose to the top to be on par with the Generation of Miracles? 'Too easy. Wait, I'll let him think he has the advantage for now. I need to test him…to see if it's true. Well, Aomine wasn't playing fair in the first place, so…might as well give him a scare.'

'Why isn't Tami countering?...Maybe she can't?! Did I finally surpass Tami?!' Aomine thought eagerly.

'It seems the rumors are true after all,' Kuroko thought as she read Aomine's thoughts from his expressions. She made sure to keep her usual deadpanned expression even though she had mixed feelings of betrayal, anger, and sadness. She glanced to the left, the direction of the garden entrance. She made the movement subtle so it wasn't too obvious, but noticeable enough for Aomine to catch it. "Akashi-kun?" she said in her monotone. Aomine stiffened in fear at the name of the heterochromatic red head as he felt his body go cold. He glanced at the direction of the entrance, forgetting the battle for a split second, but that was all Kuroko needed. At the moment she felt Aomine's gaze leave her, she pushed Aomine back with ease. Aomine growled in anger when he realized that he had been tricked. He tried to counter Kuroko when he felt himself being pushed back, but it was no use, Kuroko disappeared.

* * *

"TAMIIIII!" he roared in chagrin, as he heard Kagami and Momoi giggling in the background.

"Hello, Aomine-kun."

The tanned king looked up to see Kuroko sitting on the roof of the pavilion.

"Tami! What the hell? That's playing dirty!"

"You should speak for yourself," the powder blue haired girl replied simply.

Aomine growled as he refused to meet her gaze, "Sheesh, it was just a joke."

"Aomine-kun." He shivered as he heard her change in tone. He cautiously looked up to see that she hopped down from the roof and was a few feet in front of him. He locked eyes with Tamiko and seemed to be paralyzed when he saw the expression her eyes. Aomine didn't break away from her gaze, he couldn't. Aomine stood petrified under her sharp glare. He felt his body become unresponsive, as if his blood froze over. Tami rarely gets angry but when she does, she's as scary as Akashi, if not more terrifying. The shock of fear that course through his body when he heard Akashi's name couldn't even compare. The tense atmosphere was suffocating and the air got caught in his throat.

"It's unlike you to make such an amateur mistake; Akashi-kun is not an exception as a source of distraction. And if you were thinking, it would be unlike Akashi to arrive before the others did. You think you're strong enough to beat me when you got sidetracked so easily? Or were you so distracted by the sweet taste of victory that you forgot about your opponent? You look down on them before even beating them. Just because you're one of the Generation of Miracles, don't get arrogant. It's okay to believe in your own abilities but don't you dare belittle your opponents. Fight them with everything you have. If I'm your opponent then look at me! " The Generation of Miracles all have a strong sense of pride in their abilities, so when looked down upon, it was like setting off dynamite.

* * *

Kagami and Momoi stood a few feet away from Aomine. Kagami gaped like a goldfish as he saw **the** Aomine Daiki being pressured by Kuroko. 'What's going on? What the hell is with this heavy and bone chilling atmosphere?' He watched the stare down between the two bluenettes. He didn't understand anything Kuroko had said but he was smart enough not to butt in. ' I wonder what happened between them…I guess this is just another part of the history of Teikou and the Generation of Miracles that Kuroko hasn't told me yet.'

Meanwhile, Momoi was praying for Daiki. 'You idiot! I told you this would happen but you didn't listen to me! Kami-sama, please just let Daiki escape alive. Even if he is a no good, perverted bastard, please give him another chance to keep our promise. Please let him settle this situation with Tami peacefully so that we could go back to the way we were.'

* * *

"Have you forgotten everything I taught you? Did you forget our oath?" Kuroko demanded. Her voice was laced with anger but to people who knew her well, they could hear the desperation in her voice and see a deep sadness in her eyes.

Aomine's eyes widened as he realized what she was so angry about. He realized what an idiot he had been over the past few months. He completely disregarded everything Kuroko had told them and unknowingly broke their oath. 'What have I done?!' A searing pain spread across his chest as he continued to stare at Tamiko. Her expression broke his heart and the fact that he had caused it made him feel overwhelmingly guilty. 'I-I have to fix this…now…NOW!' He urged and willed his body to move over to Tamiko, eyes never leaving her. Every step felt heavy and it seemed like years instead of seconds until he finally reached her. Kuroko looked at him in confusion and gasped when she was pulled into a tight hug. She felt something wet drip onto her shoulder and realized in shock that Aomine was crying. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry Tami…I was stupid and…didn't realize what I did…But I never, and never will, forget our oath…Sorry…"Aomine continued his continuous whispers of apology. Knowing that Aomine was sincerely sorry and regretted what he did, she forgave him and hugged the trembling teen back.

Kagami watched in burning jealousy while Momoi was switching quickly back and forth from grinning madly to scowling. 'I'm glad they made up but it's not far that Daiki gets to hug Tami first!' The pinkette pouted. She sighed as she realized that her childhood friend will be in a world of pain once the others heard about this.

* * *

After Daiki quieted down, Kuroko mumbled "Do you want to make it up to me?"

"Anything," he replied without a second thought.

She pulled away but kept her hands around his waist. She smiled and looked pointedly at Aomine's sword on the ground.

He widened his eyes before smirking and nodding.

"Seriously this time."

"Of course."

Aomine leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Kuroko's forehead.

Kuroko remained unfazed while angry voices suddenly interrupted Aomine's euphoria.

"How long do you intend on staying like that?!" Kagami and Momoi shouted.

Kagami pulled Aomine away from Kuroko and Momoi tackled her. "Tamiiiii! I missed you so much! We need to keep in touch more! Was Daiki bullying you? Don't worry I'll protect you!"

"LET GO OF ME BAKAGAMI!"

"SHUT UP AHOMINE! WHO SAID YOU COULD TOUCH KUROKO?!"

"HAH?! I DON'T NEED YOUR PERMISSION!"

"IF YOU TOUCH HER AGAIN I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!

"AS IF I'M SCARED OF A TIGER!"

"YOU! ARE YOU TRYING TO PICK A FIGHT?!

"YOU ARE! WANNA SETTLE THIS NOW?!" Aomine grabbed his sword and pointed it at Kagami.

"HAH! AS IF I'M SCARED OF YOU!" Kagami unsheathed his sword and the two were about to go at it when…

"Arf!"

Everyone froze and turned towards the audience they didn't notice before.

Midorima had a frown on his face as usual but he held a little husky in his arms. Murasakibara was munching away on some cotton candy like always but his face was sour as if he just ate a lemon. Takao watched everyone in amusement while Himuro didn't know how to react and just widened his eyes slightly in wonder and amusement, keeping his pokerface.

"Since when were you there?!" Everyone except Kuroko shouted.

"Since the beginning," Midorima huffed.

"Midorima-kun, it's not nice to steal my line." Kuroko said bluntly.

Momoi, Aomine, and Kagami chuckled while Midorima sweatdropped with a faint blush painted on his cheeks. A ghost of a smile could be spotted on Murasakibara's lips through the cotton candy. Takao wore a smirk and Himuro smiled, restraining himself from laughing so he wouldn't further embarrass the tsundere, being the polite person he was.

"Midorin, is that your lucky item?" The pinkette asked excited.

"Stop calling me that! And yes, it is. I found him on the streets in Shutoku. Coincidently a dog was my lucky item of the day so I kept him," he said glancing down at the husky.

The puppy in the Midorima's arms squirmed out of his arms bounding over to Tamiko. She eagerly picked up the puppy and lifted him up to eye level. Kuroko couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face when she saw the black and white husky staring back her with wide baby blue eyes that screamed innocent. She couldn't resist hugging the puppy and he wiggled out from her grip, climbing up her shoulders, onto her head. The husky plopped himself in a comfortable position much to the girl's amusement. After making sure that the canine wouldn't fall off she turned back to her friends and blinked confusedly at the mixed reactions on their faces. Kagami was pinching his nose trying to prevent blood from spurting out, his face as red as his hair. Despite his tanned skin a scarlet color was seen streaked across Aomine's cheeks and blood flowed down his face as he stared intently at Tamiko. Midorima was pushing up his glasses, futilely trying to hide the delicate pink on his cheeks. Murasakibara had stopped eating and was gazing at Kuroko with sparkles in his eyes, looking closely, a little drool could be spotted at the corner of his lips. Momoi was covering the lower half of her face with her hands, looking like she was about to faint. Takao had widened his eyes, looking at Midorima with a smirk, giggling like a high school girl who had gotten her hands on some yummy gossip. Himuro was looking at Murasakibara gaping slightly that the giant had actually stopped eating. The world was ending soon. Yep, it definitely was.

'So…so cute! Damn, it's not fair when she makes a face like that.'

'Tami…smiled. God, when did she become this beautiful…'

'She shouldn't make that face in public. That would be dangerous…not like I care or anything.'

'Kuro-chin looks so delicious. I wanna take her home…'

'Tami-chaaaaan! I just wanna give you a big bear hug! You're too adorable!'

'Oh. My. God. Is Shin-chan blushing?! I am so going to tease him later...'

'He stopped eating…Wow, Atsushi must really like Kuroko…'

Everyone was snapped out their thoughts when a sword came flying out of nowhere and neatly landed upright in the soil nearly impaling the person closest to Kuroko, Kagami.

"What the-" Kagami's words were lost when he saw the person just behind their group.

Kuroko called out politely while everyone was still dumbstruck.

"Akashi-kun."


	3. The Sun and the Shadow

**Thank you for all the favorites, follows, and lovely reviews! I was literally screaming in joy when I read them. They really motivated me to write faster so here it is! I was really happy and excited to write this chapter(you'll see why). It's a relief to get it out of my system and finally present it to you. I hope it doesn't fall short of your expectations...Anyways,enjoy the story~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or the characters, Tadatoshi Fujimaki does. I own this plot and any OC.**

* * *

A pair of yellow and red eyes glanced around with a hint of frustration. A smirk was plastered on his face as everyone greeted him in turn, flustered at his sudden appearance.

"Tamiko, Daiki, Shintarou, Atsushi. It's nice to see you all again." The red head said evenly.

'Did I just get ignored?' Kagami, Takao, and Himuro thought simultaneously. They brushed it off though because getting mad at the red head wasn't going to get you anywhere, they certainly didn't want to get sliced to pieces with scissors.

Akashi smiled warmly at the girl standing a few feet away from him, looking at him with wide, unblinking, baby blue eyes.

"Tamiko, do you like the garden?" the red head said, walking towards her.

"Yes, I really like it." Her eyes sparkled with happiness although her face remained expressionless.

"I'm really glad, it was made especially for you after all," he purred seductively. He took her hand gently in his and lifted it up to his lips to place a soft and lingering kiss on the back of her hand.

The air suddenly tensed with an overwhelming aura of jealousy and murder intent.

'How can he just walk in so casually and kiss Kuroko?! It's not like he owns the place. Well, he does, but still! How dare he touch Kuroko?!' Kagami thought in outrage. As he glanced around, the other members of the Generation of Miracles and Momoi seemed to be thinking something along those lines too.

Smirking, Akashi turned back to everyone else, ignoring their displeased looks. "Is there something wrong?" He asked in a sweet, sadistic voice. He flashed that 'innocent' and bright smile that practically said "Wanna die?"

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees and everyone gulped, shaking their heads furiously. Their willpower instantaneously crumbled and their thoughts went from 'KILL!' to 'I'm so sorry please don't kill me,' in a second.

'I thought so,' Akashi smiled knowingly.

* * *

Meanwhile, a blond was ecstatically observing the garden and busy staring at the 'legendary' Generation of Miracles who were his roles models, too busy to notice what just happened. "Akashichi! Is this the Generation of Miracles?!" He screamed, sounding suspiciously like a fangirl.

Everyone turned to look at the person who just spoke, realizing that another person had come in with Akashi.

"Yes, Ryouta," Akashi huffed when he realized he would have to deal with the overly cheery blond sooner or later.

His eyes sparkled dangerously and he ran forward to everyone's alarm to glomp onto Aomine.

"Are you Aominichi?! You're the ace right? Can you show me some cool moves?!" He blurted out in the same breath.

"What the hell?! Who are you?" Aomine shook the stranger off and side stepped another tackle.

"Meanie~," the blond wailed with crocodile tears streaming down his face.

"Akashi. Who is this?" Midorima asked, annoyed that the newcomer was so noisy.

"Ah, right, I forgot to introduce him. He is Kise Ryouta, the prince of Kaijo. Or you might know him as the younger brother of Shougo."

Silence. The air suddenly tensed and they held their breaths unconsciously.

Everyone bristled at the mention of Haizaki and didn't know how to react to Kise.

'Hah! So it's that bastard's younger brother huh?' A tanned king thought.

'Hm, so that's who Akashi-kun was talking about...He certainly is very good looking,' Kuroko observed. Kise has beautiful golden hair paired with eyes that looked like liquid gold. He had a silver earring on his left ear and although his outfit looked hastily put together you could tell he was royalty with the expensive materials of his clothes. He wore a white, long sleeved button down made of silk. A royal blue vest was thrown on top, reaching his knees with leather straps tying both sides together. Long black tights and brown leather shoes completed his look. 'He doesn't seem like a bad person, and seems to have potential, but is a bit…annoying.' Kuroko stepped towards the blond and offered her hand in greeting.

"Nice to meet you, Kise-kun." She got no reaction and blinked in confusion. 'That's right, I almost forgot about my lack of presence since everyone here usually sees me. Hm…' Kagami was about to yell at Kise for ignoring, or rather, not noticing Kuroko, when he scrunched his eyebrows in confusion when the girl put a finger to her lips, telling him not to say anything. Aomine, Momoi, Midorima, Murasakibara, and Akashi smiled when they realized what Kuroko was going to do. Deciding to help her out, Akashi glanced at Tamiko before she nodded back. His lip curved up slightly, he turned to Kise.

"Ryouta, I suppose you know the members of the Generation of Miracles already?"

"Of course!" Kise said with a bright grin. Akashichi is king of Rakuzan. Aominecchi is king of Touou. Midorimachi is king of Shutoku. Murasakichi is king of Yosen." Deciding against mentioning his brother, seeing everyone's discomfort, he changed the subject quickly. However, everyone picked up on this and was slightly grateful as Kise rambled on. "I really respect you guys! Would you teach me some moves?!" he asked again eagerly, his eyes bright and pleading like a child asking for a toy they knew was expensive.

"Ryouta."

The blond slowly turned to the red head, shivering when he heard his serious tone. Focused on Akashi, Kise failed to notice the bluenette right behind him. 'What did I do? And what's that mischievous gleam in Akashichi's eyes?' Kise thought in horror. 'Everyone seems to have stiff expressions as well, they must be scared of Akashichi too. Who wouldn't be?' Poor Kise didn't know what came over him when Kuroko stood on her tippy toes and blew into his ear.

…

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The blond shrieked, jumping ten feet into the air. He whipped around to see…no one. 'What the hell?! Who was that?! Where did they go?!' Kise scanned the garden to see no one out of place but to his embarrassment, everyone was laughing. Kagami, Aomine, Momoi, and Takao didn't bother restraining themselves and roared in laughter until their faces turned red and they were holding their stomachs. Midorima 'coughed' into his hand trying to cover up his quiet snickers. Atsushi wore a wide grin and Himuro giggled slightly, covering his mouth. Even Akashi let out a small chuckle before he composed himself again. The blond blushed while cupping his ear, still tingling from the unexpected sensation before. "You guys are so mean!"

"You're the one who ignored me first, Kise-kun."

Kise widened his eyes at the soft voice behind him. He swiftly turned around and once again he faced an empty space. 'What the?' Blinking several times before looking closely again, he made out a figure.

The petite girl had light blue eyes that had a blank look to them, but glancing at them again, a hint of amusement was found in its depths. Hypnotized by her strange eyes, they reminded Kise of the bright blue sky on a cloudless day or the ocean sparkling under the rays of the sun. Her hair was a shade lighter than her eyes. It was tied up into a high ponytail and her wavy hair flowed down to her mid-back. It looked soft and silky as it gleamed in the harsh sunlight. Kise guessed she was around fifteen and was taller than most girls her age, about five feet six. Despite her height, she was very thin and looked fragile. To add to that she was almost deathly pale. Even though she looked like she couldn't lift a sword, one was strapped to her back and a knife was found against her right hip. She wore a loose, short sleeved, red tunic that reached her knees. It had a white trim on the collar and a black belt was around her small waist. She matched her shirt with black tights and black boots that ended a little below her knees. She gave off a mysterious aura and gave Kise an unsettling feeling. 'Who is she? Where did she come from? How come I didn't see her before?' All the questions spinning in Kise's mind made him dizzy as he focused on the girl again, to make sure she wasn't just an illusion.

Making sure he saw her this time, she walked forward, satisfied when his eyes followed her. Holding out her hand, she offered her greeting again. "Hello, Kise-kun." Still a little dazed from the sudden appearance of the girl, he took her hand cautiously. About to introduce herself, Akashi interrupted Kuroko.

"Don't tell him yet. He has potential but unfortunately, he is still a step away from the resolve we need." Kuroko narrowed her eyes slightly as she stared into Kise's eyes and confirmed Akashi's claim.

"Hm, but he has to be ready by later today."

Akashi smirked and said, "That's _your_ job, Tamiko." Everyone glanced back and forth in confusion between the two engrossed in a conversation they didn't understand a word of. Frustrated that they were left out once again, they were about to voice their complaint when someone beat them to it.

"Hold on a second! I have to be ready for what? You still didn't tell me anything Akashichi," Kise said in anticipation and annoyance. Akashi and Kuroko looked at the prince at the same time and he cowered under their intense stares.

Akashi turned back to Kuroko, "You know what I want you to do right?"

The blunette sighed, "Well, I don't really mind. I've been feeling stiff from the trip after all."

"Okay, then it's settled." Kise gaped at how blatantly they ignored him and was about to protest when Akashi told everyone to head to the courtyard. Not giving a chance for the blond to speak he said, "Oh, and Daiki, don't think I forgot about _that_. I'll talk to you later," the heterochromatic red head smiled sadistically. Akashi grinned when he felt Aomine freeze up behind him and the rest whispered him condolences. Kise, although confused, finally fell in silence to pray for his hero to come out alive along with Momoi. 'Stupid Dai-kun. Were you trying to get yourself killed?' Fighting Tami-chan halfheartedly **and** in the garden that Akashi had specially put together for her was one word, suicide. Let's just hope that Akashi doesn't taunt Aomine with those wicked scissors of his before he goes in for the kill, which everyone knows he will…

* * *

Once they were at the courtyard, Akashi didn't waste any time. "Ryouta, I want you to fight Tamiko."

"WHAT?!" Everyone expect the girl shouted.

"Are you serious Akashi?! Kise'll get hurt," the tanned bluenette shouted.

"Yeah, isn't it too sudden," 'and cruel,' left unsaid, "to let Kise face Tamiko?" Murasakibara mumbled around a mouthful of cotton candy.

"Kise has potential so I think he can hold his own, at least for a few minutes," the redhead said.

'What the hell? Why does everyone think that I'm the one who's going to get hurt? She's just a weak looking girl…' Kise felt his heart drop a few feet when he glanced up to see everyone glaring at him as if they read his thoughts. Gulping nervously the blond thought, 'Why are they all so protective of her?'

Kuroko smiled, "Don't worry, minna. I'll be careful not to get hurt." She smirked. Everyone shivered at her cold smile. "Please take care of me, Kise-kun."

"Akashichi, why do I have to fight against her?" 'Can I really go all out?'

"Ryouta, if you pass the test then I'll tell you why you're here. But if you fail or hold back I will immediately send you back to Kaijo without telling you anything," Akashi warned.

"How do I pass this test?" Kise asked hesitantly.

"Use your instincts. Don't think and just answer honestly," Akashi instructed.

"Hah?" 'What's with that riddle?' the blond pouted.

Kagami scoffed, "You just better concentrate on the fight instead of asking useless questions. If you underestimate Kuroko you'll either end up in intensive care at the hospital for a few months or you'll be dead."

Kise widened his eyes in shock as everyone nodded in agreement with Kagami. 'Is she really that strong…?' Kise looked at Kuroko, she seemed overwhelmingly weak but something told him otherwise. The feeling she gave off was…different from anyone he ever met. Part of his brain said 'this will be a piece of cake' while another sent warning bells off at full volume, cautioning him to be careful. He tried his best to ignore the nagging feeling at the back of his mind and stepped toward the middle of the courtyard where Kuroko was waiting for him.

Swords in hand, in a ready position, everyone held their breaths.

"Start," Akashi commanded.

Before Kise could even take a step forward, he froze in place when he felt a trickle of blood down his left arm. Snapping out of his daze, he realized he couldn't see the bluenette anywhere. His heart thumped in panic, 'Fast. Where did she go?!'

Aomine chuckled by the sidelines, "Going all out already Tami?"

Kise scanned the area a few times before realizing that Kuroko was in the same spot as before, seemingly unmoved. Kise narrowed his eyes and charged forward with breathtaking speed, taking a slash at the bluenette. He gasped when he swiped at the air and realized that Kuroko wasn't there anymore.

"Oh, he's pretty fast. Not bad," Kagami murmured. 'Fast, but not fast enough.'

"Of course, I did say he had potential didn't I? And I'm always right," Akashi smiled.

'What?! Where is she? How can she simply disappear like that?' the blond thought frantically while searching for that unique shock of blue. Smiling at Kise's reaction Kuroko simply ran up behind him from the right. Feeling a light breeze behind him he spun around just in time to block the girl that had somehow appeared again. Kise widened his eyes as he was pushed back by the girl. Tamiko relished at his expression and smirked, "Never judge a book by its cover Kise-kun. I'll do you a favor by not scarring that pretty face of yours though." She pulled back quickly and slashed at Kise's left side which was open. Wincing in pain, he quickly tried to counter her, ignoring his injury. The blond was about to jab at the girl from under on the right but she once again disappeared before his horrified eyes. 'It's impossible for someone to physically vanish like that,' Kise thought. He squinted his eyes and found a blur coming right at him. Not a second too early, he sidestepped a slash. 'No, it's not that she vanishes, she's just too fast for my eyes to follow!' Trying to spot that blur again was nearly impossible in the huge courtyard. 'At the unrealistic speed she was running at, it'll make me dizzy trying to track her. Even if I do see her, it's like my eyes aren't willing to follow her…What's going on?' Realizing quickly that he needed another approach, and quick, he closed his eyes in concentration. That was when he heard the quiet but distinctive footsteps running at an insane pace around him. Getting irritated with her disappearing acts, Kise set off into a run too, following the light footsteps in contrast to his heavy ones. Hoping that the girl will tire out before him he continued to chase after her. When he heard the lithe footsteps suddenly stop, he opened his eyes and brought down his sword at a diagonal. The girl was facing him, sword crossed with his. As they clashed several times, Kise felt his heart almost beating out of his chest. His heart pumped with adrenaline at this unexpected challenge 'I haven't felt like this is a while…' Without knowing, the prince smiled sincerely although he was short of breath and tired. He let his body act by itself without thinking. 'Akashichi is right. It's amazing being able to fight like this.' Ecstatic that Kise was enjoying this as much as she was, she still knew that she had a job to complete. It upset her that she had to burst his bubble but it was necessary.

"Kise-kun," Tamiko panted as she jumped up to dodge a swipe at her legs. "The situation in Kaijo, why didn't you do anything about it?" Kise jolted at the sudden question. Uncomfortable with discussing the current state of Kaijo with someone he just met, he remained silent and just took another slash that Tamiko easily countered. Just realizing that he can finally focus his eyes on the girl, he was met with a cold stare. That's when he remembered what Akashichi said before.

_"Use your instincts. Don't think and just answer honestly,"_

Realizing that Akashi's instructions had a double meaning, he reluctantly followed his advice. He stopped thinking and said whatever came to mind.

"I wanted to, but I couldn't do anything for them," the prince whispered, crestfallen. Bringing his sword forward, he cut Kuroko on the shoulder.

Tamiko didn't react to the pain of her injury and fired another question. "Wanting and doing are two different things. Why couldn't you?"

"Because I'm a coward," he mumbled, tears in his eyes. Although I saw what Aniki was doing I couldn't defy him because he's still my brother, the one that I used to admire and respect."

"What do you think of your brother now?"

Kise chuckled slighty, eyes desolate. "I lost it. All of it. The respect I held for him. The hope that I desperately clung onto, believing he could still change. I hate him, but I hate myself even more. I stood there watching as hundreds of people died." Admitting his sins that he refused to realize for himself made his feelings uncontrollable. Hot tears streamed down his face as the wall around his heart fell apart and a harsh yet warm light shone on it. The tears blurred his vision but he continued to furiously attack Tamiko as she slowly backed up towards the group at the sidelines.

"What do you want to do now?" Tamiko dashed to the right and attempted to cut Kise's leg.

Kise stepped back quickly with his heart thumping wildly. This question that he had asked himself over and over again, but had no answer for, he finally found it. "I…WANT TO HELP KAIJO!" he declared loudly, as he brought his sword up. Tamiko mirrored his actions and they stood silently panting. Their swords were pointed barely a centimeter away from each other's necks. Kise tried to absorb what just happened while Kuroko smiled at him with a proud look in her eyes.

"Well done, Tamiko, Ryouta," Akashi applauded as they slowly withdrew their weapons.

The others were still in awe at the amazing fight they just witnessed. Midorima was the first to snap out of it and went up to Tamiko. "We have to clean those wounds right away so they don't get infected," he said anxiously. Bruises, scratches, and cuts littered her body. She shrugged it off, but Midorima didn't let her get away with it. He boldly leaned down to lick a cut near her lip. Kuroko's eyes widened in shock and her face burst out in a lovely shade of red. Before Midorima could move on to the cut on her cheek and forehead he was pulled away by a furious Kagami, Aomine, Momoi and Murasakibara.

"Don't try to get ahead of us you bastard!" The red head screamed, vexed.

"I never knew you were like that Midorima. Don't think you'll get away with touching my Tami," Aomine growled.

"Midorin! Why?!" Satsuki cried hysterically.

"Mido-chin, it's not fair! You tasted Tami-chin before I did!" a giant pouted.

"I was just cleaning her wound! There's nothing wrong with that..." Midorima mumbled.

Before Kagami could explode in the greenette's face, the sound of a scissor whizzing through the air startled everyone. Tamiko materialized by Midorima with her hand in front of his face. The King of Shutoku widened his eyes when he saw the tip of a scissor jutting out of Kuroko's grasp.

Tamiko turned to a seething Akashi, "Enough, Akashi-kun. Midorima-kun was just helping me…although that was a bit uncalled for." An endearing shade of pink colored her face and everyone tried to hold back their urges to tackle the girl. Stunned by this rare sight, Akashi's anger evaporated as his cheeks burnt a bright scarlet. "While I'm at it, please don't punish Aomine-kun. He's learnt his lesson," she said, glancing at the said person. Aomine nodded quickly in agreement.

He sighed heavily. "Fine. But you have to keep me company later," he said suggestively.

"Akashi!" Four different voices yelled.

"What?" he asked innocently. "It's just for a cup of tea. Isn't that right Tamiko?" Akashi smiled mischievously.

"Of course," Kuroko replied, oblivious to what Akashi implied before.

"Akashi-kun." Kuroko glanced in Kise's direction, indicating that the red head should deal with him.

"Right," clearing his throat he strolled over to the blond where he was standing dumbstruck.

"Judging from your earlier declaration, you've passed the test." Kise just stared back at the intimidating red head blankly.

"Tamiko, can you do the honors?"

"Of course, I'd be happy to." She walked to Kise, and held out her hand. "Welcome to the Generation of Miracles Kise-kun."

Kise along with the others gaped at Kuroko as if she grew another head. Knowing it wasn't their place to speak up yet, the others kept their many questions inside their heads.

"Me? Part of the Generation of Miracles…?" The prince said disbelievingly.

Akashi smiled in confirmation and Kise stood there wide eyed, too happy to utter any words.

The blond took her hand hesitantly and Tamiko smiled warmly at him, melting his heart. Seconds later, it suddenly dawned on him that it wasn't one of the Generation of Miracles welcoming him, or was it?

That's when it hit him. The nagging feeling like he wasn't realizing something he should. Why she was with the other members. Why she was so strong. 'I thought it was just a rumor…but everything fits…'

Kuroko saw the change in Kise's expression and smirked. 'Finally realized it did you? You're awfully slow.' She sighed internally and stared at Kise straight in the eyes.

"I can finally introduce myself," she smiled. "Nice to meet you Kise-kun. I am Kuroko Tamiko, the phantom sixth person of the Generation of Miracles."

* * *

**Please don't kill me for hurting Kuroko and Kise...**

**Tell me what you thought of this by dropping in a review, thanks~**


	4. Secrets

**I'm very sorry about the late update but it's finally done! This is the longest chapter by far, about 5,000 words. I didn't read it through as many times as I normally do because I've been busy these days so there might be some grammatical errors. I will go back and edit as soon as I can. Thanks for the favorites, follows, and reviews as always! Luv you guys~**

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke and the characters do not belong to me, they belong to the fabulous Fujimaki Tadatoshi. I only own this story line and any OC**

* * *

Kise stood dumbstruck, staring at the bluenette in front of him. Even though his brain had made the connection seconds before she confirmed his suspicions, it was still too much for him to digest all at once. "Y_-You're _the phantom?!" the prince screeched. 'This little girl is **the** famous phantom of the Generation of Miracles. A-and I just fought her…Oh my god. I fought the phantom of the Generation of Miracles…" Kise started hyperventilating and feeling faint. Meanwhile everyone else was watching in amusement at his rapid changes of facial expressions. It switched from surprise, horror, to awe in a matter of seconds.

"Snap out of it already you idiot!" Aomine smacked the back of Kise's head with a playful smirk.

"Ow! Aominicchi what was that for?!" Kise pouted.

"For being as dumb as you seem," he answered nonchalantly.

"Whaa~ Aominicchi is a big bully," the blond wailed.

"It's not my fault you didn't realize it sooner," the tanned teen retorted.

"Well, it isn't my fault either that I thought the phantom was a fictional character to scare people," he mumbled.

"I'm sure that people are already scared enough with the five original members Kise," Midorima interjected petting the husky that was now back in his arms.

"That's true…But there had been so many weird rumors and claims about the phantom's identity so I just brushed it off. Plus, I never thought…"

"It would be a girl?" Akashi finished in a dangerously calm voice.

"Yeah…" Kise admitted.

"We started the rumors and false claims to protect Kuro-chin," Murasakibara drawled.

"What?!" Kise shouted. He received another smack to the head, but by the husky this time.

"Good job Nigou," complimented Midorima.

"Nigou?" echoed several voices.

The greenette pushed his glasses up to hide the slight blush on his cheeks. "When Kuroko was holding him I noticed that their eyes look really similar, so I named him Tamiko number two. But then I realized that it was a boy so I left it as Number 2. Nigou is a shortened version of Number Two.." Midorima explained.

Everyone sweatdropped at his naming sense but noticed that Tamiko and Nigou really did have the same colored eyes.

The tsundere cleared his throat and said, "Anyways, back to the rumors. Yes, it was us who spread them. Haven't you ever wondered why some smaller countries remained unconquered in Teikou?"

Kise blinked in shock as he realized what he said was true.

"That's for helping Tamiko hide her identity. We told every ruler of the smaller countries to spread rumors that they were the phantom at the same time. Of course, Kuroko being the ruler of Seiren claimed to be the phantom as well to blend in. With there being dozens of people claiming to be the phantom, people got confused and no one took the claims seriously. In exchange for helping us conceal her identity we promised to leave them alone. They know that this phantom certainly exists but they don't trust each other's words when each claim that they really aren't the phantom."

"But couldn't one country try to conquer the others until they finally find the phantom?"

"That would never happen," Akashi answered. "We had them sign peace treaties with the others which didn't take much persuading. Countries from overseas would also never aim for the smaller and more vulnerable countries because anyone who declares war on **any** of the countries in Teikou will have to face us. The smaller countries don't inquire about the phantom's identity and remain loyal to us while they receive our protection."

Kise remained silent at this revelation. 'Akashichi is willing to give up territory just to protect her? Hearing the rumors about Akashi, he has to have everything under his control. His goal was to conquer all of Teiko. To give it all up for her, just what is she to him?'

"I don't understand. Why do you go to such an extent to hide her identity?"

"It's an extra precaution. We know that Tamiko can take care of herself but no matter how strong she is she's still a girl. She can get taken advantage of or others might try to use her abilities. That is highly unlikely though, unless someone has an early death wish. She also doesn't like the excessive attention unlike us." Akashi smiled.

Kise nodded in understanding and turned to Kuroko. She still looked as weak and fragile as a lamb but he now saw a look of defiance in her eyes. Underlying her expertly crafted cover, was pure strength and pride. Her mysterious aura now looked like an aura of dignity to Kise. His unease and wariness turned to excitement to learn more about this strange girl.

"I'm really sorry about before Kurokochi! I shouldn't have underestimated you just because you are a girl."

"It's okay, I'm used to it. Besides it makes it that much more fun to play with my opponent," Tamiko said sadistically.

Kise gulped and mentally noted to never, **ever **underestimate girls again, especially the dangerous one in front of him. Ignoring the shiver that went down his spine he asked Tamiko something that had been bugging him.

" Kurokochi, I seriously respect you now after seeing your fighting style, it was so cool! But…what was that before? Besides your impressive speed, it was like you disappeared. No, more like I couldn't see you for some reason..."

Tamiko smiled, "That was misdirection, Kise-kun."

Seeing Kise furrow his eyebrows in confusion, Kuroko continued the explanation. "Sometimes I use misdirection when I fight. I direct the opponent's attention away from me so that it seems like I disappear. While they are distracted I simply make my move."

"How is that possible?! Your opponent is the only thing you should be focusing on, so why would they still lose sight of you?

Tamiko smiled, "Why don't you ask yourself that question."

Kise opened and closed his mouth, no words coming out because he couldn't think of a proper reason. Then he thought back to their first meeting and you can see the lightbulb above his head flash to life. "Because you have a low presence!" he exclaimed excitedly, eager to know if his answer was right.

Tamiko nodded and Kise smiled brightly, about to give himself a pat on the back when Kuroko interrupted, "But that's only half of it. The other half is a secret."

"Aw, come on Kurokochi~."

Tamiko smirked. "I'm not telling you so easily Kise-kun. It took me more blood, sweat and tears than you can imagine to develop this technique."

"As if you're not already invisible enough with that speed and low presence of yours," Aomine sighed.

Kise whined, but knew he wasn't going to get an answer from her anytime soon.

Wanting to cheer the blond up and wipe that miserable expression off his face that was starting to make her feel guilty, Tamiko said, "In exceptional cases like with you, you can actually see me once you really concentrate when I run at full speed. Usually that's when I use misdirection in addition to my speed and low presence. I only used it for a few seconds during the fight with you though."

"When she does that, it's impossible to see her. The only one who can even catch a glimpse of her is Akashi," Aomine added. "It's a deadly technique, especially because no one knows how it works so we can't effectively counter it," he elaborated.

"So far only the Generation of Miracles has been able to push me enough to use misdirection," Tamiko explained.

"S-So I'm on par with them?!" Kise screamed excitedly.

"Getting Kuroko to use misdirection is an achievement but don't get cocky now newbie," Midorima huffed.

"You're a hundred years too early to beat me. You are acceptable for the Generation of Miracles but you still have a lot to learn. You have the basics down pat, but you need to develop your own style," Akashi concluded.

Kise smiled brightly with sparkles twinkling around him and nearly blinded everyone present.

'Damn, it should be illegal for guys to be that pretty. Don't even _think_ about enchanting Kuroko with those looks of yours,' Kagami grudgingly thought.

"Akashichi, you still didn't tell me why I'm here," an annoying blond complained.

"Patience, Ryouta."

"Akashi-kun, I think he should have arrived already," Kuroko said in her usual monotone voice.

"I think we've kept him waiting long enough. We're heading to the conference room," Akashi announced and swiftly turned around to head to said place.

'Conference room?!' Aomine, Momoi, Midorima, and Murasakibara internally shouted.

'Okay this is definitely not going to be good,' Momoi thought nervously. They usually held their meetings in the garden but Akashi didn't like 'tainting' the place he made especially for Tamiko so the conference room was for more…violent and serious meetings. The fact that Akashi actually chose that room as the setting for this meeting meant that things were more serious in Kaijo than they thought. 'Oh, this is going to get ugly soon…'

* * *

Arriving at the entrance to the conference room, Akashi finally broke the tense silence that surrounded them on the way there. "It's going to be a bit more violent than usual. Tamiko and Shintaro, be ready to guard Ryouta. Satsuki and Atsushi restrain Daiki if you need to," he instructed. "The others," referring to Kagami, Takao, and Himuro, "stay outside."

'What are we, dogs?!' Kagami thought enraged.

"Leave Nigou outside too, Shintarou."

Grumbling, Midorima handed his lucky item to Takao.

Aomine wanted to complain about the red head's orders he knew it wasn't the right time to. He focused on his task of not beating Haizaki to a pulp when he saw his disgusting face.

Akashi thrust the double doors open and stepped into the room with utmost confidence.

The room had a large, finely crafted wooden table set horizontally with plush velvet chairs around it. The back wall had a row of windows that almost reached from floor to ceiling with red velvet curtains drawn over them. Akashi, with a grim face approached the silver head that was seated rudely as he leaned back with his feet on the table. "Shougo," Akashi greeted.

"Finally decided to show up huh Akashi? Kept me waiting long enough. Another minute and I would've ditched."

Akashi ignored him and headed to the leader's seat at the end of the table.

Everyone filed in after Akashi and Haizaki widened his eyes when he saw who was at the end. "Kise?! Why the fuck are _you_ here?"

"Aniki…"

Seeing as he wasn't going to get an answer from his brother he turned to Akashi.

Akashi didn't meet his glare and simply said, "You'll see."

Growling, he was about to settle down when he caught sight of a certain teal-head. Grinning, he slid his chair back and swiftly made his way to Tamiko. Stepping in front of the girl so she couldn't get to her seat, he said in a flirtatious tone, "Hey there, Kuroko. Haven't seen you in a while." Tamiko glared knives and daggers at the playboy and tried to step around him. Haizaki smirked and slid his hand around Tamiko's waist to make sure she stayed where she was.

He was used to his brother's habit to hit on every girl in sight and ignored it most of the time but seeing him touch Kuroko like that made him feel angry and disgusted. About to tell him off, he suddenly saw a scissor plant itself into the door they came in from. He glanced back to his brother to see a thin line of blood on his cheek.

"Shougo," Akashi warned.

"Don't lay your dirty hands on Tami, you bastard!" Aomine yelled.

"Let go of Kuro-chin," a deep voice commanded, the childish undertone gone.

"You're making Kuroko uncomfortable, leave her alone," Midorima said, irritated.

"Shougo," Akashi hissed, impatient.

"Fine, fine. You guys are no fu-" He gasped sharply and grabbed his side where Kuroko jabbed him.

"Kuroko, you brat!"

"Don't touch me," she growled with menace in her eyes.

Ignoring the chills that racked his body he leaned in near her ear and said, "In a bad mood princess? I can make you feel better," he purred.

"Really? Okay, then go and die," Tamiko said in monotone. She slipped past Haizaki while he stood there frozen at her unexpected answer. 'You bitch, I'll get you back for that,' he promised as he walked back to his seat.

Chuckles flooded the room and Aomine walked over to Tamiko to give her a fist pump which she happily returned. After regaining his composure, Akashi voiced out a new set of instructions. "Atsushi, switch seats with Shougo. Ryouta, sit next to Tamiko. Shintarou take the seat next to Ryouta. Satsuki sit next to Daiki."

After everyone settled down Akashi sat the head of the table with Kuroko, Kise, and Midorima on his right. Haizaki, Murasakibara, Aomine, and Momoi sat on the left.

"So why the hell did you call us all the way out here Akashi?" Haizaki said, annoyed.

"It's obviously because of you dumbass," Aomine said, aggravated.

"What the fuck?"

"Well, if _someone_ would just do a proper job of governing their territory. You even have the nerve to push this off until it involved Touou and Shutoku."

"Hah! So this is what it's about. I don't give a shit about Kaijo. I'm too lazy to give a damn anymore. Sitting in the room all day going over contracts and all that other crap is boring as hell."

"What did you say you fucking asshole?!" Aomine was about to go beat the shit out of the silver-head when Murasakibara and Momoi pushed him back down. "Calm down Dai-kun. I know you're angry, actually we all are, but doing this won't make the situation any better." Aomine calmed down slightly at the pinkette's words but his frame still trembled with anger.

'How can Aniki say that…Why...What happened to you?' Kise thought forlornly.

"Your people are all starving to death because you're too _lazy_ to do some paperwork?" Tamiko asked emotionlessly.

"Well they can always just go somewhere else," Haizaki answered.

"Going outside the city walls is suicide. It's too far from the border to Touou or Shutoku and the criminals you let run rampant are waiting to prey on anyone who leaves the city."

"Not my problem," he said as he put his hands behind his head and leaned back on them.

Kise glanced over to Tamiko to see that her normally calm demeanor was gone and anger was clearly written on her face. Her voice came out eerily calm in contrast to her expression which looked like she wanted to kill Haizaki right then. "I heard that you've been asking for food to be delivered to the palace. Why couldn't you do that for the people dying outside your palace walls?"

"Hah! Are you kidding? Why the hell would I go through that trouble _and_ spend my money on them?"

"You're disgusting Aniki. While the citizens are going through hell you are having a feast every day and are hiring escorts."

Haizaki smirked at Kise, "_You're_ telling me that? Aren't you the same you little shit."

Kise's hand shook in anger but he couldn't say anything because what he said was true.

"Ryouta's been sneaking food out the palace and has been protecting the townspeople with his own personal bodyguards. He understands their feelings and sympathizes with them when you don't even attempt to help. In conclusion, he's a much better person than you, which brings us to the purpose of today's meeting."

Haizaki continued to give Kise the death glare while vaguely listening to Akashi. "-o Ryouta."

The silver head saw Kise's eyes widen in surprise and fear at what he just missed. "Say that again Akashi," Haizaki demanded.

Akashi smirked and said, "Gladly. Shougo I want you to step down as king and give the throne to Ryouta."

It took a minute for Haizaki to digest it and when he did, hell broke out.

"You fucking bastard, I bet this was your idea!" He immediately threw a knife aimed at Kise's eye but Tamiko pushed him aside and it impaled her shoulder. Everyone else was suddenly engulfed in rage at witnessing the bluenette get hurt. "You asshole!" Aomine screamed. He rushed forward with his sword and swiped at Haizaki's arm which he was using to continuously throw daggers at his brother. Tamiko had unsheathed her sword by then and was expertly deflecting them. Haizaki jumped onto the table to avoid Aomine's attack but got a light scratch down the length of his arm. The moment he unsheathed his sword to swing down onto the blue and yellow duo Murasakibara flipped the table from Tamiko's side so Haizaki flipped backwards towards the windows. He stood up again and was about to charge at Kise again, too angry to notice he was fighting a losing battle. Momoi threw a small blade that hit his left arm. Midorima pulled out a bow and arrow out of nowhere and shot the silver head in the calf. Haizaki stumbled and a scissor whizzed by his head at the same time, nicking his ear. While he was struggling to stand up Musakibara thrust a spear at Haizaki's throat, stopping just before he could kill him. "Aka-chin, can I kill him?" Aomine was at Haizaki's other side with his sword aimed at his throat as well. Midorima stood beside Kise and Kuroko with his bow drawn, arrow aimed at the silver head's heart. The air tensed as everyone waited for Akashi's command. He smiled evilly and said, "I think it's too easy a death for someone like him. I have another idea in mind. Reo. Eikichi." Two people immediately entered the room. One was tall and thin with stringy black hair while the other was tan and well-built with a shaven haircut. "Lock Shougo in a prison cell for three days with no food or water." Haizaki widened his eyes in terror, being the spoilt child he was he lived every day in luxury. "AKASHIIII! DON'T THINK THIS IS OVER YET YOU BASTARD!" He howled as he was dragged away. All the while, Kise was frozen in shock at what just happened. "Akashi, you're not going to kill Aniki right?" No matter how much Kise hated him, he didn't want him to _die._ "If he lasts for that long then I'll think about it," Akashi decided. "For now everyone is dismissed until dinner in the main hall at eight."

* * *

Aomine dragged along by Momoi, Midorima, and Takao, decided to take a stroll around the huge castle. Akashi and Kuroko were in the garden drinking tea having a private chat. Although no one was happy with leaving the bluenette alone with the heterochromatic red head, they knew it was something they couldn't interrupt. Being abandoned, Kagami tagged along with Himuro and Murasakibara to the city to get more snacks. Kise wandered off somewhere in the castle by himself.

"Do you think Kise's ready to take all the responsibility as Kaijo's king yet?" Momoi murmured.

"Well, he has to be. Besides if Akashi thinks so, then he must be," Aomine dismissed.

"But he was looking kind of down before…"

"He needs to be alone right now to sort through everything; it is a lot to take in after all. I wouldn't be surprised if he broke down…" Midorima mumbled.

* * *

In the garden, Tamiko and Akashi can be seen on the pavilion seemingly enjoying a cup of tea while having meaningless small talk. But if you walk a little closer you can see the air was tense and the Akashi Seijuro who usually has an ice cold mask now had eyes filled with sadness and longing. "Tamiko," he whispered, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, we've had this conversation a million times Akashi-kun. I'm not mad about _that_ anymore, so don't worry."

"But, if you want, I think I can let go now…" Akashi said although his eyes said the opposite.

Tamiko smiled but there was a mix of emotions too complicated to decipher in her eyes. "I'm happy with what I have now."

"That's what you said back then too."

"Akashi-kun, let's not talk about this anymore," Tamiko sighed. "Rather, what are you going to do about Haizaki-kun?" she said with a cold voice.

Akashi's face morphed into one of mischief. "Just let me handle it. I definitely won't let him leak your identity."

Kuroko frowned and said, "That's not what I'm worried about. Truthfully I don't really care about hiding my identity anymore since you're going through all this trouble for me."

"It has benefits for the Generation of Miracles as well. Having a secret weapon has a greater psychological impact on the others which makes our job that much easier."

"Okay then. But I'm worried about Kise-kun."

"As always you worry about others before yourself. Frankly I think he should be happy instead of moping over the fact that he's replacing his brother. He said he wanted to help Kaijo and I simply gave him the power and authority he needed to complete the task."

"I understand, but I think it was too much for him all at once…"

"Let's just hope he gets over it soon and does his job."

Tamiko didn't answer and just sipped her rose tea.

* * *

After a noisy dinner with the Generation of Miracles along with their trusted companions, Kagami, Takao, and Himuro, everyone had gone back to their rooms to settle in for the night. After several hours of rolling around in bed, unable to find sleep, Tamiko decided to take a walk around. Seeing Kise looking dejected during dinner had made Kuroko lose her appetite and feel uneasy. "I wonder how he's doing…"

Kuroko turns a corner to see a familiar figure leaning against the railing looking out to the garden. 'Speak of the devil.' Not wanting to scare Kise so that he would scream and wake everyone up she called his name several times before he noticed there was someone else there. He let out a tiny squeak and held his hand over his chest.

"Since when were you there Kurokochi?"

"I just came. Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah. I'm just too confused about everything to sleep comfortably."

Kuroko walks up to stand beside the blond and joins him in stargazing.

Kise glances over to see her pale face illuminated by the moonlight. Her wavy hair was down and swept to the front. Her blue eyes glowed and her eyelashes looked impossibly long. 'Beautiful,' Kise thought flustered.

Wanting to distract himself he started talking. "Ne, Kurokochi. We just met but I feel I've known you for a really long time. I feel really comfortable around you."

Tamiko smiled and said, "Me too." Kise first struck her as annoying but she really liked his cheerful personality. Knowing that someone couldn't always be happy, Kise's serious side had its charm too. She didn't know why but it was like Kise said, it was like they've known each other for years and it was comforting to be around the other. He reminded her of a brother she never had.

"Do you think I can be a good ruler, Kurokochi?"

"You could if you work diligently, but I think you're already doing a good job."

Kise looks at Kuroko in confusion. Kuroko glances at him and turns back to the breathtaking view of millions of stars in a sea of black.

"I think being a good ruler means understanding what the people need and want. Since your heart is with the people, then you're already halfway there," she explained.

A small smile graced Kise's lips for a moment before it was set into a frown again.

"Thanks Kurokochi, but I doubt if I can do a proper job of helping Kaijo. What if I can't meet their expectations? What if I fail like my brother? I feel like I'm replacing him without being sure I'm able to do a proper job. It took me so long to finally realize how wrong the things my brother did were. I made it my goal to be anything other than like my brother, to be better than him, because I never want to see people suffer because of me."

Tamiko peeked over to Kise to see his face scrunched up frustration and pain. His eyes were glazed, making his golden eyes look like shimmering honey. He opened and closed his mouth several times like he didn't know how to word what he wanted to say. After a few moments of silence he finally spoke.

"While I was in the city, I spoke to some of the townspeople, and one of them was named Himura Eiko." Remembering her story, his nose started tingling with a burning sensation and his vision blurred. He forced himself to continue, making sure his voice didn't crack. "Before I had started going into the city, their family was slowly dying of starvation, they hadn't had decent food in two weeks. Akira's father, not wanting to see his family suffer anymore, bravely ventured into the marketplace which was infested with criminals lurking around in search any food. He never returned. The next morning, when her neighbors saw her going around asking about her missing husband they reluctantly told her the harsh truth. They saw him heading towards the city gates, the opposite direction of the marketplace. He had left his wife and daughter behind. He didn't take them along because they would be a burden and lessen his chances of survival. Her daughter, Akira, refused to believe her dad would do something like that and waited everyday for him to come back. Losing hope, day by day, she started blaming the royal family. She said it was us that broke their family apart because if we had helped them, her father wouldn't have been driven to desperation. The worst part is that after listening to their story, I couldn't find it in myself to hate the father. He was selfish and irresponsible for leaving his family but he only did it because he wanted to live. That was when I realized just how far my brother and I had pushed them. They were past the breaking point, they were barely clinging onto the hope of living another day. They did anything they could to see another day, no matter how inhumane it was. I cried and cried when I realized what I had done to them, or rather didn't do for them. The want, no, the need, to survive broke family and friends apart and it was our fault. But aniki won't even admit he's responsible for the crisis happening right before our eyes. I don't understand what happened to him, or maybe his true nature just came out, I don't know anymore. I wish he would go back to the way he was, before he became like this…I mean what kind of ruler takes instead of gives to the people?! It makes me sick that I'm related to someone as cold-hearted as him but at the same time I can't stop loving him no matter how much he hates me." Kise let the tears he had been holding in spill over. The endless streams of tears moistened his cheeks and softly reflected the moonlight.

Tamiko let Kise cry everything out before she said anything.

"Why are you thinking of failing before you've even tried? Stop thinking so far into the future and just think about what you can do now. Suddenly being given such a difficult job would definitely give you a shock and pressure you to do well, but being yourself is more than enough, that's why Akashi chose you. Understanding how severe the situation in Kaijo is _is_ necessary but instead of crying about what you couldn't do, use that time to think about how to change the situation for the better. Even if you said you hate your brother, we don't expect you to even if he did what he did because he's still and will always be your brother."

"We're only half-brothers. We share the same father while my mother is his mistress. Since Aniki's been crowned king of Kaijo, he reluctantly let mother and I live with them in the palace because my father insisted… You said to think about how to make Kaijo a better place, but I don't know the first thing to do! Plus, back in the conference room, I stood watching as you and the others got hurt because of me."

"That wasn't your fault, you were in shock so we didn't expect you to suddenly jump into battle, especially against your brother. As for the problem with Kaijo, that's what we're here for Kise-kun. The Generation of Miracles isn't simply a group of powerful individuals but a group of friends. You're one of us now so we'll guide you through this. The others aren't as obvious about it but they're worried about you too. They're all willing to help you, I know they are, so don't be afraid to ask us anything."

Kise's eyes were now wide with surprise, "Are you sure?" He asks uncertainly.

"Of course, isn't it proper to ask your friends for help when you need it instead of forcing yourself to bear the burden all to yourself? If you do that, it will only make us feel unneeded."

Tears trickled down his face again but a ghost of a smile was spotted on his lips this time. He grabbed Kuroko into a tight hug and whispered into her ear, "Thank you."

* * *

The next few days, Kise bonded with the other members of the Generation of Miracles and found what Kuroko said to be true. They were nice and reliable, well for the most part because they were still kind of annoyed at having –chi added to their names. They talked to Kise so he understood what he needed to do first and foremost, which was to eliminate the criminals that were on the loose everywhere in the country. While they were discussing the best strategy to proceed with, in the garden, Reo suddenly ran up to them out of breath.

"What is it? Make it quick," Akashi scolded.

Reo gulped and then said breathlessly, "Haizaki Shougo is dead."


	5. Apologies

**It's finally done! I'm really sorry for the late update. I was away for some last minute vacation before I go back to school and when I came back I was feeling really crappy when I got sick so things got delayed...**

**I go back to school the day after tomorrow so I don't know when the next time I can update is. I will try to update every weekend but no promises.**

**Some people have been asking me to make this into AkaKuro but I'm still debating over it because there really are a lot of AkaKuro stories already...I'm not saying I don't ship those two (who doesn't? *fangirl scream) but I want to hear the rest of your opinions. I'm planning on putting up a poll but not all the candidates have made their appearance yet so you'll have to wait a little longer.**

**Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews! Knowing you enjoy my story makes my really happy and feel a sense of accomplishment. This chapter gave me some problems but here it is! i don't think this is as well written as the other chapters but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting anymore. I hope you guys enjoy it~**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basuke or the characters, Fujimaki Tadatoshi does! I only own this story and any OC.**

* * *

_"You do know that you're openly disobeying Akashi right?"_

_"Hah? How does that concern you?"_

_"He'll kick you to the curb soon enough, but I can give you another option."_

_"…He won't, he still needs me."_

_"Are you sure?"_

_"…Get out, I don't want to see your disgusting face anymore."_

_"…Fine, but if you ever change your mind, take this."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Take it and you'll find out. Use it when you've decided to join me."_

* * *

_'That fucking bastard! What the hell was that? I bet it's poison, that asshole…' His consciousness drifted in and out along with his blurring vision._

_'This is way worse than starving to death…' A numbing chill traveled down his throat to his heart and he found it increasingly difficult to breathe. The numbing sensation traveled through his veins trapping his entire body in its icy grasp. Knowing a guard was right outside his cell, he attempted to call out for help to find his voice gone. Gritting his teeth in frustration he willed his body to sit up or at least turn around to face the person that may be his only salvation, but his body was unresponsive. His body felt heavy and cold as he laid on his side trying to hang onto his consciousness. His eyes slowly closed as he took another shaky breath._

_ 'What's.. ha..ppen..ing.. to me…' He unwillingly blacked out and sunk into an abyss of cold oblivion._

* * *

_"What did you say?!"_

_"Haizaki Shougo…he's dead."_

_"You're lying! Aniki can't be…NO!" _

_I refuse to believe it. I won't believe it until I see him…Brother…_

* * *

"**KISE**!"

He snapped out of his daze just as a sword came swinging down towards him. He swiftly dodged it and thrust his own sword forward to kill his assailant. Taking deep breaths of air to calm down his frantically beating heart he looked around to observe his surroundings. A vast grass field spread out in front of him and the city walls of Kaijo's capital, Kibō*, were a few feet behind him where the entrance was visible from where he stood. To his left, Aomine killed off the last of his attackers before turning back to Kise with a scowl.

"Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?! Don't daze out in the middle of a battle like that! I know you probably have a lot on your mind right now but you still need to stay focused." Aomine tried to maintain his irritated tone but it faded into a concerned one instead. Kise laughed sheepishly and mumbled an apology. Aomine frowned; he couldn't blame the blond for being out of it with everything that's been happening, especially with what happened two days ago…

_Everyone had burst into a state of either shock or disbelief when they heard those four words leave Reo's mouth._

_"Haizaki Shougo is dead."_

_Kise had started screaming and crying hysterically, saying that Reo was lying while the others tried to get the latter to tell them exactly what had happened. He proceeded to explain that shortly after he swapped shifts with Eikichi to look after the silver-headed troublemaker, he found him unusually quiet and still. He walked closer to see that he was lying on his side against the cold stone floor. His eyes were closed and his breathing slowly came to a stop. In a panic he opened up the cell to find that Haizaki's pulse had stopped. His body was cold and limp. He had immediately locked up the cell again and rushed to find Akashi._

_ Upon hearing what had happened they all sprinted to the underground prison to find Haizaki lying motionless and silent in the cell. Reo immediately unlocked the door and Kise rushed forward to drop down to his brother's side with tears streaming down his face. Haizaki's face was paper white, like all the blood was drained out of it. When Kise tentatively reached out to brush his fingers against his cheek, he shivered at the cold temperature of his brother's body. Without the quiet, even breaths he usually took, he was bone chillingly silent. His body was unnaturally still without his heart pumping warm blood throughout his body. Kise's heart went cold when he finally realized his dear brother was gone. A new round of tears took over and his body shook uncontrollably as he clutched at his brother's shirt and put his head against his chest. His screams and sobs were muffled, his face buried against his brother._

_Everyone watched the scene unfold before them with hardened expressions. Being the seasoned soldiers they were, they've seen plenty of their companions go down in battle. They've all suffered more than their share of grief and chose to move on no matter how broken they felt inside. Knowing that there was nothing that can be said to comfort Kise in the state he was in, they left to let him say his final farewells to his brother in private._

Aomine glanced over at Kise to see a dazed look in his eyes. Catching the bluenette gazing at him, the blond smiled brightly and said, "Let's go Aominichi! I think we're done on this side." Aomine scrunched his eyebrows, 'He's had that fake smile on ever since Haizaki passed away…' He sighed heavily and just nodded, following Kise to monitor the border of the city.

* * *

Kaijo is a country in southeast Teikou whose eastern border meets the Pacific Ocean. It shares a border with Shutoku in the northwest and Touou in the southwest. The capital, Kibō* is the furthest city south and has four entrances into the city, the gates in the north, south, east, and west. In order to eliminate the criminals quickly, five pairs were formed. Akashi and Murasakibara were stationed outside the capital to kill anyone who was waiting to prey on townspeople. Midorima and Takao were placed at the Kaijo-Shutoku border to catch anyone trying to sneak into Shutoku. Himuro and Kagami teamed up at the Kaijo-Touou border to ambush anyone who tried to go into Touou. Reo with Eikichi monitored the other cities, killing any suspicious figures they found. Lastly, Aomine and Kise were in Kibō, protecting the remaining citizens that were still there. Having finished their job quickly, they joined up with Akashi and Murasakibara just beyond the city walls where most of the criminals are found.

Tamiko insisted that she could still fight with her wounded shoulder, but everyone had demanded she stay at the palace to rest up. Originally Kagami was supposed to stay with her, but no one wanted to leave the bluenette alone with another guy so Momoi stayed instead. Although she looked like the calm and obedient type, Tamiko was actually the complete opposite. She hates being tied down and can be extremely stubborn about what she wants. Sometimes she purposefully caused trouble to show her rebellious side. She dislikes being unnecessarily violent but this was an exception, she wanted to teach those bastards a lesson for torturing the people of Kaijo. Frustrated that she was missing out on the fight, she pleaded with the pinkette to let her go join the others. Faced with teary puppy eyes, Momoi almost gave into the bluenette but managed to hold onto a speck of her sanity and firmly told her no. Pouting, the bluenette tried to escape many times but never succeeded since Momoi clung onto her all day.

* * *

Kise mindlessly slashed at his opponents.

'Aniki…Why did you have to go?' He speared another person down.

'Akashi, it's your fault… NO! I can't think like that. He's been helping me so much these past few days, he even made me king of Kaijo…but…I can't believe he died just like that…if Akashichi didn't punish Aniki he wouldn't have died. But Aniki made plenty of other people suffer…I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK ANYMORE!'

Struggling to hide his inner turmoil that was threatening to break his composed mask, he robotically killed the criminals. A wrenching feeling filled Kise's chest and he let out all his frustrations by ruthlessly killing his opponents. Finishing the last of them, they met up with the others at the southern entrance.

"We finished quicker than I thought," Murasakibara drawled. "Can we go back to get more snacks now?"

Everyone else sighed while Akashi ignored his request.

"Reo, Eikichi, Kagami. Go meet Tamiko and Momoi halfway, they should be on their way here."

Reo groaned and tiredly said, "Yes, Akashi."

'Yes! I get to see Kuroko sooner than all you suckers!' Kagami laughed internally.

"Akashi, is it necessary to send so many people? Especially that red tiger," Aomine complained.

Kagami growled, "What did you say Ahomine?!"

The bluenette glowered at Kagami and just as he opened his mouth, a scissor flew past his head, missing him by a millimeter. Aomine turned to Akashi trembling, waiting for his verdict.

"Thieves might attack them. It's safer to have an extra person there to protect Tamiko and Momoi."

'Protect Tamiko? Hah! Everyone knows she can protect herself,' Kagami thought. 'But I don't care as long as I get to see her, the sooner the better.'

"I know Reo and Eikichi are strong enough to defend against any attackers but Tamiko doesn't know them that well so it might make the trip awkward for her," Akashi explained. Kagami is her second in command so I _should_ trust him." His glare said, "I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself but if you mess this up get ready to be shred to pieces."

"Take care of her." There was an undertone that practically screamed, "If she arrives with a single scratch you know what happens…" He twirled another scissor around his finger taunting him.

Kagami gulped and uttered a "Yes, sir," before he mounted his horse and faded into the distance with Mibuchi and Nebuya.

"Akashi, where are we going to spend the night?" Aomine asked. It was late afternoon and the sun was setting quickly.

"Touou."

The bluenette widened his eyes and exclaimed, "What?! You didn't tell me this before! Why can't we go to Shutoku, Rakuzan or even stay in Kibō?"

"Are you stupid?" the greenette retorted. "It's inconvenient to travel back and forth between Rakuzan and Kaijo since it's so far. Kaijo doesn't have any food and Shutoku is further from here than Touou.

He huffed in annoyance but accepted the fact that they were all going to stay at his castle in Touou's capital, Kasai*.

"Huh? What about the food Haizaki had delivered to the palace?" The giant asked.

Kise flinched slightly at his brother's name and smiled, "We distributed it to the people."

Murasakibara nodded in understanding and turned to Akashi. "Can we go now? I'm starving."

Akashi sighed, "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Seating at the dining table, various dishes were presented before them. Murasakibara started drooling while Himuro chuckled at his best friend's reaction. Midorima blushed when his stomach growled although no one heard it. Takao squealed excitedly and stared at the food intensely, like it was going to run away if he looked away. Aomine has stars in his eyes and had his utensils in hand, ready to dig in. Akashi kept his poker face as a hungry look twinkled in his eyes. Kise had a huge grin on his face but his eyes gleamed with sadness and anger. Once the final dish was set on the table everyone attacked the table.

"Oi, that was my piece!"

Murasakibara stuck his tongue out at Aomine before shoving a piece of steak into his waiting mouth. He smiled in delight at the juicy and savory meat.

"This is so good! Takao screamed blissfully.

The others managed to eat with proper etiquette whilst fighting for their favorite dishes.

Kise nibbled on a piece of chicken and shut out all the sounds around him. 'Aniki…I miss you. Where are you? Why did you have to go?' Crying his eyes out days ago, no more tears would come to his eyes no matter how pained he was inside. 'Aniki…'

"Kise… Kise!"

The blond blinked and realized where he was again. Everyone was staring at him, some in concern and others in annoyance.

"Kise." The red head repeated, waiting for a response.

"Yes, Akashichi?" he said enthusiastically. He flinched when he met cold red and yellow eyes. He immediately looked off to the side, avoiding the piercing gaze while his heart twitched in pain. 'Why do I still respect the person who killed Aniki?'

"Seeing your reaction, I'm guessing you didn't hear what I said before."

Kise smiled sheepishly but didn't respond, confirming Akashi's suspicion.

"Tomorrow morning we are personally delivering food to each city in Kaijo. This is to repair our damaged reputation as the Generation of Miracles."

Kise clenched his hand into a fist, unwilling to let his emotions show on his face. He knew that his brother had tarnished their reputation and that Akashi was just trying to help him, but he couldn't stop his growing anger at the red-head. Kise nodded stiffly to let him know that he heard him. The others continued to eat happily while listening to Akashi describe the plan in detail. 'How can they act like nothing happened? Aniki died! Does that not mean anything to them?' Quickly excusing himself before he could explode, he dashed out of the room.

The atmosphere in the dining room turned chilly at Kise's sudden exit.

"Aka-chin, is he going to be alright?"

With a cold expression he said, "He better be." He promptly stood up and left the room having lost his appetite. The others stared at his retreating back with somber expressions.

* * *

"Aah we're finally here," Momoi groaned as she stretched out her stiff limbs.

Someone immediately went up to them and said bowing deeply, "Welcome, Kuroko-sama, Momoi-san, Mibuchi-kun, Nebuya-kun, Kagami-kun."

'Why is my name last?' he thought in annoyance.

"It's nice to see you again, Sakurai-kun," Tamiko said warmly.

He brunette blushed slightly and quickly said, "I'm so sorry!"

Everyone deadpanned at the sudden apologize and then looked downcast as they knew what was coming next.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry! Would you like to eat? I'm so sorry! I should've asked the cooks to prepare some food beforehand. Oh, how are you doing? Wait, it's all out of order! Sorry. I'm so sorry," he rambled on profusely.

Tamiko sighed and held up her hand to tell the trembling brunette to be quiet. "We stopped to eat on the way here and I wouldn't want to trouble the cooks in the middle of the night. As for how we're doing, I'm fine thank you." She sighed heavily.

His eyes widened in shock. "Am I troubling you? I'm annoying you right?! I'm so sorry! Sorry. After your long trip I end up bothering you. Sorry. I'm so sorry."

Momoi tried to frantically calm down Sakurai. "It's okay, we know you mean no harm. Actually it's the opposite. Thank you for caring and worrying about us."

"So I am bothering you!" he concluded.

Momoi sweatdropped, "That's not what I meant…"

"I'm so sorry! I deserve to die!"

Kagami, Momoi, Mibuchi, and Nebuya swore they heard something snap as a menacing aura appeared around a certain bluenette. 'Uh-oh,' they thought simultaneously.

"Sakurai-kun."

The said person's frame stopped trembling as it froze in fear. He looked up fearfully into cold blue eyes. He internally shrieked and screamed 'I'M SO SORRY! What did I do? I deserve to die, I don't even know what I did wrong!'

"**No one** _deserves_ to die," she growled.

The words rang in her ears with familiarity. Momoi widened her eyes in wonder when she realized that she heard that before, but she couldn't remember the time or place.

"Sakurai-kun, how can you talk about your life so casually when there are thousands of people in Kaijo and millions in the world struggling to survive? Why do you give yourself so little credit? When we've said you've done nothing wrong, then believe it. We aren't one to sugarcoat our words. Actually you are annoying us, with your constant apologies! Apologizing is necessary when you're in the wrong but you're doing it excessively. Instead of doing that, you should carry the confidence that you always have during a battle."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock at Tamiko's words. "Kuroko-sama…"

Tamiko ignored their stares and said, "Can you take me to my room? I'm sleepy."

It took a few seconds for Sakurai to snap back into reality and when he did he said, "Hai!"

While Kagami, Momoi, Mibuchi, and Nebuya were escorted to their respective rooms by other servants Sakurai accompanied Kuroko. "K-Kuroko-sama, I-I'm really sorry about before. I'm sorry for saying sorry so much. Wait, I'm doing it again. I'm so sorry!" He clamped his hand over his mouth to prevent himself from apologizing again.

Tamiko smiled sadly. "Actually that's not what I'm upset about."

"Eh?"

"I guess your constant apologies are part of your personality but I'm mad that you keep degrading yourself like that. You really should give yourself more credit."

"B-But…"

"I really hope that you know how much we treasure and trust you as a companion."

"Y-You trust me? Really? Why?"

"You've proven yourself countless times to us, especially to Aomine kun. He sees as one of his most important comrades as does the rest of the Generation of Miracles."

Seeing the uncertain look on Sakurai's face she spoke up again. "Aren't I the proof?"

"Eh?"

"The fact that you know who I am, isn't that enough proof that we trust and rely on you?"

He gasped in shock. He knew how much the other members treasured the girl in front of him. She was the secret weapon of the Generation of Miracles, their trump card. They've resorted to all sorts of methods to conceal her identity, but the fact that he knew…

Tears started to form at the corner of his eyes as he realized the truth. Tamiko smiled with a sad look in her eyes. "It's good that you understand now. Come on, let's go."

* * *

He looked at everyone's nonchalant attitude as they discussed the plans for the day.

'I can't take it anymore. No one cares about Aniki, no one cares he died!'

"How…"

Everyone turned to the blond that had been unusually quiet the past couple of days.

* * *

Kuroko woke up bright and early the next morning and walked towards the dining room where she knew everyone was. Nearing her destination she suddenly heard shouting. 'Is that Kise?' She ran down the corridor and turned the corner arriving at the dining room.

"How do you guys ignore Aniki's death like that?!" the blond shouted furiously. "Why…wasn't he your companion as well? Why did you abandon him?!"

Midorima scoffed, "Wasn't he the one who abandoned us when he ignored his duties as king?"

"But you didn't have to punish him to death!"

"He was the one who made this mess in the first place. He caused thousands of people to die in Kaijo," Aomine growled.

"Aren't you dragging us down by trying to make us as upset as you are? You should be happy that we got over it quickly so we don't waste our lives away by grieving over someone," Murasakibara added.

"But…but if you made me king of Kaijo sooner than those people wouldn't have had to suffer. Then maybe Aniki wouldn't have veered off the right path and he wouldn't have died!

"That's enough, Ryouta."

"Akashi, It's your fault…you killed Aniki on purpose! It's your fault that people in Kaijo are dying everyday!"

Everyone froze when they heard a loud smack echo across the room.

A stinging pain broke out across Kise's cheek when Kuroko slapped him.

"Kurokochi..." He cupped his swollen cheek with his hand as he stared at the bluenette in front of him.

"Kise-kun, do you think the citizens of Kaijo would've accepted you?"

The blond stared blankly at Kuroko, not understanding what she meant.

"As a citizen living on land ruled by the Generation of Miracles, they expect the best of the best, including their rulers. Do you think they would've accepted you when you couldn't beat Haizaki even once?"

"H-How do you know that?"

"I've sent people to Kibō to check your progress," Akashi explained. "In order for people to accept you we drove them to desperation to see the truth."

"H-How can you do that? It's so cruel. All those people…"

"You have to clean out the filth if you want to start anew."

"What?! How can you call regular citizens filth when they are trying their best to survive?! Just because you don't want the plague or diseases spreading, you leave them to die?"

"Akashi, you shouldn't phrase it like that," Tamiko scolded, "Kise-kun will misunderstand."

"Huh?"

"He meant 'filth' as in the corrupt officials and the criminals. We had to wait until now to take action to let all of them show their true colors so we can eliminate them."

Kise's face burned with embarrassment.

"I know you're upset about your brother's death, but I know for a fact that Akashi didn't expect him to die that way."

Akashi didn't meet Kise's eyes because he didn't want to admit he miscalculated and was wrong. Kise widened his eyes in surprise, 'Akashichi…'

"Midorima-kun's words may have been harsh but he wants you to see that we are just as hurt that Haizaki abandoned us."

The tsundere blushed slightly having been found out and fixed his glasses in slight annoyance.

"Aomine-kun may seem mad, but he feels betrayed that Haizaki changed into a person that can do something like that."

The tanned bluenette stood off to the side looking indifferent but his eyes twinkled with a hint of anger.

"Murasakibara-kun doesn't want you to be upset about Haizaki's death forever. He just wants you to understand that it's time to move on."

The giant patted Kise's head while sucking on a lollipop.

"They all sympathize with you, but they don't really show it because they've been through this kind of situation many times before."

Tears pricked at Kise's eyes and he bowed while shouting, "I'm so sorry for misunderstanding you guys!"

He ran up to the nearest person besides Kuroko, who was Midorima, and hugged him tightly. "Midorimachi~!" he whined, "I'm so sorry."

"What the hell are you doing?! Get off me you baka!" He blushed furiously as he struggled to get out of the blond's embrace. Annoyed and flustered he kicked Kise in the shin. He yelped in pain and pouted, "So mean~"

Once he recovered, he turned to Murasakibara and hugged him as well. The giant smiled and offered Kise a lollipop.

When he bounded over to Aomine he ended up on the floor when the bluenette side stepped his hug attack. Chasing him around the room, he gave up and sighed in defeat, "You're no fun Aominichi~." He pouted and then proceeded to Akashi.

"Ryouta, don't even think about it," the red head warned with a scissor in hand. He gulped and backed away from him to bump into Kuroko who was behind him.

"Kise-kun, sorry about before." She raised her hand and caressed his red cheek lightly, making him wince. "I just wanted to calm you down and explain everyone's intentions so you wouldn't keep misunderstanding them. I really want us to get along with each other…" Kise smiled warmly at her and leaned in to whisper into her ear, "I'll forgive you if you give me a kiss," he teased. A light blush made its way to her face. 'Well, I do feel really bad about slapping him…' She closed her eyes and leaned in to gently place a light kiss on his cheek. Although he expected it, Kise couldn't help his face from heating up into a bright red. The adorable sight of the usually expressionless Kuroko blushing was too tempting and he pulled her into a tight hug. "Kurokochi, I love you~" he said cheerfully. Everyone else gaped at his sudden confession and rushed forward to pry the blond off their Kuroko. In the midst of the chaos, Kuroko chuckled which caused everyone to quiet down in surprise.

"Tamiko? What's so funny?" asked Akashi bewildered.

She smiled brightly and said, "I'm just glad that everyone seems to be getting along again."

Everyone promptly dropped to the floor having fainted from too much blood lost.

* * *

A lone figure was in the shadowed room, muttering to himself. "If he didn't want to suffer he should've joined me when I asked," he chuckled. "It should be about time to initiate the plan. One down, six to go. Prepare yourselves, Generation of Miracles."

* * *

**I hope you liked it!**

**I had some trouble coming up with city names so I just took random words that popped into my head and put it into google translate and BAM! So yeah...**

**Kibō means hope and Kasai means fire. Hope it's not too lame sounding...**

**Reviews give me a lot of encouragement so leaving one would be nice ;D**


	6. Competition

**I'm finally done! So sorry for the late update...*bows**

**I'm still getting into the routine of going to school again instead of rolling around in bed all day brainstorming ideas for the story. I tell myself to write when I finish homework but my brain is literally fried by then so I can't come up with anything... I came up with the idea for this chapter on the spot so forgive me if it's not that well written...**

**Thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I always read the reviews again when I need some extra motivation, so thanks for that. Now enjoy the story~**

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke does not belong to me, it belongs to awesome Fujimaki Tadatoshi. I only own this story line and any OC. **

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open as the sunlight streaming through the windows hit her. Groaning and rolling over, she blinked a few times before her head cleared up enough for her to remember where she was. 'Ugh, that's right, I'm still in Touou…and today's the day.' She threw her legs over the bed and shivered when her feet met the cold floor, before spotting her slippers and putting them on. Sighing exasperatedly when she saw her reflection in the mirror, she proceeded to fixing her horrible, almost comical bed head. Giving up quickly, she washed up and sauntered over to her suitcase, placed on the mahogany table next to the bed. Digging through her clothes, she finally found the appropriate attire and quickly got dressed. She examined herself in the mirror; she wore a long sleeved black dress with a white trim at the collar and sleeves. Cringing as the clothes brought back painful memories from the past, she tore her eyes away from her reflection. Letting her long sky blue hair fall down her back naturally, she slipped on her black flats just as a knock sounded on her door. She pulled it open to be greeted by a solemn Aomine.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah…"

Although it was just an exchange of a few words, the tension was high. An uncomfortable silence settled between the two bluenettes as they headed toward the palace gates where the others were waiting. Knowing that no one would have an appetite this morning, they decided to skip it and head straight to Kaijo. Arriving there, Tamiko saw the other members of the Generation of Miracles standing next to their horses, ready to go. A dreary mood surrounded them as they exchanged greetings. Even the usually cheerful Kise didn't hug attack anyone and simply said "Good morning Kurokochi," with a pained smile. Glancing to the right, she saw an open cart with a large black cloth over something. Knowing what it was, she immediately looked away as her heart throbbed with a familiar pain. She ignored it to the best of her abilities as she got onto her horse. The trip was short and filled with silence; only the sounds of hooves and wheels resonated around them. They came to a stop at an isolated part of the mountains in southern Kaijo where the cemetery was located. Kise, Aomine, and Murasakibara each grabbed a shovel and started to dig into the bare ground. Deciding it was deep enough, Akashi pulled the cloth off of the cart to reveal a coffin. Being the strongest one, Murasakibara trudged over to lift it up easily and carefully dropped it into the prepared spot. Kuroko's face remained impassive as a dull stinging pain filled her throat when she again recalled unwanted memories. 'Stop,' she commanded herself. 'This is not the time or place to be thinking about something that happened so long ago.' She gulped with difficulty and picked up a white rose from the cart, holding onto it with both hands. The silence was deafening as everyone gripped onto their own roses that they threw into the grave after silently saying their farewells. Although the silver head was a jerk sometimes, he was still their longtime companion so they all felt an empty yet suffocating feeling in their chests when they actually witnessed that he was really gone. Worried about the blond, Tamiko peeked over to see how he was doing, only to be surprised that he was holding on pretty well, and not crying like she had expected. But he clenched his jaw tightly and had grief stricken eyes. Murasakibara set up an already prepared tombstone and shoveled the dirt back into its original place. After staying for a moment later, everyone headed back to their horses to go back to Touou. Kise trailed behind, looking back to his brother's grave. 'Goodbye Aniki.' He let a single tear escape before quickly wiping it away and followed his friends out of the cemetery.

* * *

Elsewhere, a man sat in an empty throne room laughing manically. His laughter died down and he wore a grin as he snapped his fingers, the sound echoing in the large room. A crow that was situated at the edge of one of the many windows that were lined up on one side took off in flight, heading to the nearby docks.

Spotting the bird moments later another man smirked, "It's time."

* * *

Midorima urged his horse to go faster so that he would be next to Akashi, who was at the head of the group as usual.

"Akashi, since things have settled down in Kaijo these past two days and it's only a matter of time before everything goes back to normal, can I head back to Shutoku once we get back?"

Akashi smirked, "What's the rush, Shintarou? Do you not like seeing us that much?"

The greenette scowled, "You know that there's a lot of work waiting for me to do. Besides, we're finished with what we set out to do in Kaijo."

"But we rarely meet up with each other so we should prolong it as much as we could. Besides, it would be a shame to leave on such a sour note."

Midorima didn't respond and then reluctantly agreed. The tension had been an all time high with the situation concerning Haizaki and it would be bad to split up with such a gloomy atmosphere.

"So what do you plan to do?"

"With everything that's been happening, I suppose you forgot what occurs annually at this time of year."

Midorima widened his eyes slightly and then looked skeptical. "But, won't that bring back memories? That's how we met after all…"

"We'll make new memories," Akashi stated.

Startled, Midorima just stared at the red head then made a ghost of a smile, 'You really have changed Akashi.'

* * *

They arrived at Kasai's lively town square in the afternoon. Kuroko smiled as a warm and welcoming atmosphere surrounded them. People were bustling around, setting up their stalls with all kinds of goods ranging from delicious foods to beautiful pottery. Children ran around with armfuls of decorations, spreading it all over the open area.

"Akashi, why are we here?" Aomine inquired.

The red head tilted his head towards a large poster pasted onto a stone wall that was advertising the annual sword fight.

He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and was about to protest when Akashi said, "I want all of you to participate."

"Why Aka-chin? It's just a waste of time," Mursakibara complained.

He ignored him to walk over to Tamiko, smirking. He leaned down to whisper something into her ear. Her eyes widened in surprise and then sparkled in delight. She glanced at the others and then nodded.

Everyone gulped as Akashi turned to face them with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Are you sure you don't want to participate? The winner gets a kiss from Tamiko," he nearly said in a sing song voice.

Akashi chuckled as their jaws dropped and stared at the girl while blushing furiously as they each imagined getting a kiss from her. You can literally see a flame of determination being ignited as they all ran over to sign up for the competition.

Kuroko was upset that she couldn't participate because of her injury. Although it doesn't hinder her in everyday activities, straining it to fight would make it worse. She sighed, knowing it couldn't be helped. "Akashi kun, I'm going to roam around the area."

"Okay, be careful Tamiko and come back soon."

Nodding she walked off into the distance staring in awe at all the goods they were selling.

Burning with curiosity, Midorima had stayed behind to ask Akashi what he had said for Kuroko to agree to his proposition.

"A week's supply of vanilla milkshakes," he answered simply, walking over to the sign up table.

The greenette deadpanned and then sighed as he remembered how much Kuroko loved vanilla milkshakes. As he was writing his name down on the form, he stiffened as Tamiko's blushing face flashed in his mind. He shook his head quickly trying to get rid of the image that were making him blush tomato red. 'I'm only participating because Akashi told us too. It's not like I actually want to win to get the prize. I don't like Kuroko…' He imagined the petite girl getting up on her tippy toes, about to kiss him on the lips…

He deflated to the floor like a balloon as his eyes turned glassy. His brain turned into mush and he steamed from his ears.

Midorima Shintarou eliminated.

* * *

Kise was feeling jittery as he waited for the competition to start. Although it wouldn't be the first kiss he would receive from Kuroko, he still remembered the jolt of electricity that went through him before. He remembered those soft, rose pink lips that seemed to entice him. The brush of her lips against his skin was gentle, sincere, and stimulating; and he wanted to feel that again, if not more. When he heard about the prize, he had immediately jumped at the opportunity, thanking Kami-sama for this turn of events. 'Kurokochi~ Your kiss is mine~." Picturing the bluenette, he internally gushed, 'Oh my god, Kurokochi is so cute! No, adorable. No, freakingadorableascanbe! Gaah, I wanna shower you with kisses and hug you and never let you go!' In the middle of conjuring up his fantasies, he suddenly screeched to a stop. His face of bliss was replaced with an expression of true horror and desperation, like he just found out a meteor was going to fall out of the sky to smash his beautiful face into smithereens. Panicking he dashed over to Aomine who was napping in the corner.

"AOMINICHIIIIIIIIIIIII~," he sobbed desperately.

The said person ignored him, which resulted in the blond whining even louder. Realizing he wasn't going to go away until he answered him he groaned, "Shut up Kise, what do you want?"

In between sniffles he said, "I-I think I'm turning into a pedophile!"

The bluenette's eyes shot open as he looked at the blond's tear streaked face, confused and bewildered. "What the hell are you talking about?!" he shouted, irritated that Kise was interrupting his precious nap with his stupidity.

"B-But I think I like Kurokochi!" he sobbed, voice trembling.

Aomine's eyes shot open at his declaration. He thought the blond was joking the last time he said that and thought of Kuroko as little sister but Kise looked dead serious this time although he was crying his eyes out. His eyes hardened after recovering from the shock. He sighed heavily, '_Another_ rival?!' He glared at the pitiful blond and cringed internally when he noticed how long his eyelashes were and how his lushious blond hair gently reflected the sunlight. 'Ugh, he's going be a tough opponent…I've got to make my move soon.' Remembering what the blond had said before, his face warped into one of confusion.

"So…? What does that have to do anything with you being a pedophile?"

"B-But Kurokochi's only fifteen and I'm nineteen. Isn't the age gap too big?" he wailed.

Aomine deadpanned and then face palmed. 'Okay, maybe I won't have to worry about him afterall...Should I tell him? But if he keeps misunderstanding he would restrain hitting on Tami…'He chuckled evilly internally and decided to let the blond suffer.

That was when Kise blinked several times quickly, as if realizing something. He stared at the bluenette and said, "Aominichi is a pedophile too!"

"Hah?! What did you say Kise?!" he roared.

"Aren't we the same age?"

Aomine blinked owlishly and pursed his lips, 'Fuck, he realized it.'

"See, you are! And I know you like Kurokochi too!"

'Was I that obvious…?' He blushed and then growled, "Shut the fuck up!"

"Oh my god, what do we do Aominichi?! We're both pedophiles!"

By then everyone within a twenty feet radius was looking at them warily.

His cheeks burned with embarrassment as Kise rambled on about their crisis. His head was in turmoil as he debated what he should do. 'Should I tell him? But if I do he'll hit on Tami! But if I don't he'll think I'm a freaking pedophile!' He pulled at his hair in frustration, trying to get his thoughts straight. 'If I don't tell him, **everyone'll** think I'm a pedophile!" His pride was being torn to shreds as people continued staring at them like they were lunatics. It was a good thing not many people knew his face even though he was the king of Touou. Deciding that even if he told Kise, he would still win over Kuroko, he grabbed the blond's shoulders to look him straight in the eyes.

"You're a fucking idiot," he said blankly.

"Waaah~ Aominichi is so mean!"

"Why do assume Tami's fifteen?"

"Because she looks like it?"

The bluenette sighed, "Don't you already know not to judge her by her appearance?!"

"Huh?"

"She's the same age as us." He let Kise absorb this information and then gaped when he disappeared from his grasp.

"What the hell?!"

* * *

Nibbling on a gingerbread cookie she bought, she walked around, eyes flitting from stall to stall. 'It's almost his birthday soon, what should I get him?' Her eyes lingered on a beautifully crafted gold and silver sword. Before she could walk over to take a closer look, something tackled her to the ground. She usually wouldn't be taken off guard this easily but since she was in such a crowed place, she didn't think she would get attacked. Knocked momentarily unconscious, she let out a loud groan before she heard a familiar voice from above her. "KUROKOCHIIIII~"

"Kise-kun?"

"Kurokochi!" The bluenette gasped for air as he hugged her even tighter. Realizing what an embarrassing position they were in, with Kise on top of her on the ground clinging onto her like no tomorrow, she blushed a deep red. Hearing murmurs around them and feeling their gazes focus on her made her even more uncomfortable. Certain that this was one of her top ten most embarrassing moments, she kicked Kise in the shin to get him off of her. He yelped and when he was met with Kuroko's icy glare, he smiled sheepishly.

"Please refrain from doing things like that in public Kise-kun."

"Kurokochi…" he whined with a slight pout.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the competition right now?"

"Eh? That's right! But I need to tell you something first. Kurokochi I-"

Aomine materialized from behind him and karate chopped him on the head.

He crumpled to the floor while Aomine scowled at him.

"Aominichi! What was that for?!" the blond screamed while rubbing the bump that was starting to form on his head.

"You left me there at the arena and everyone was looking at me weirdly like I was a pervert."

"But you are one," Kuroko said bluntly.

Kise chuckled while the tanned bluenette blushed lightly, his eyebrows scrunched together. "Oi! I'm not a pervert!"

"Sure, sure," Tamiko dismissed, walking towards her previous destination.

She picked up the weapon and examined it to make sure it was authentic. Her eyes sparkled at the fine craftsmanship. A gentle smile adorned her face when she imagined his happy face when she would give it to him.

"Eh? Tami, you want a new sword?"

"No, it's fo-"

"Kuro-chin!"

Three heads whipped around to see a purple giant with an armful of different snacks and a half eaten pretzel in one hand.

"Murasakibara-kun, what are you doing here?" she asked, even though she knew.

"Powering up for the fight." His eyes lit up and he quickly finished up his pretzel to grab a small packet from the top of his snack pile. With some difficulty he finally managed to open it. He pushed something into Kuroko's mouth, smiling when his finger met her soft lips.

Kuroko widened her eyes in shock and then sucked on the small candy. Realizing that it was vanilla flavored, she started to saver it, letting the taste linger on her tongue as long as possible. She tilted her head back to look at Murasakibara and said, "Thank you," with a gentle smile.

Kise, Aomine, and Murasakibara went into a slight daze, their cheeks all a light dust of pink.

'Kuro-chin looks so delicious…' His restraint snapping in pieces, he leaned down to kiss Kuroko on the forehead. The blond and the tanned bluenette gaped, about to yell at the giant when they were met with his death glare that clearly stated, "Kuro-chin is MINE."

'S-SCARY!' They gulped and backed away from the childish yet dangerous purple head.

Murasakibara turned back to Tamiko like nothing happened with a sweet smile, "It's nothing Kuro-chin. Here, you can have this whole bag." He brought her hand up and placed the small packet in her palm.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. He took her other hand in his, wanting to take her back to the arena. He looked back at the petite girl when she didn't budge from her spot.

"Kuro-chin?"

"You can go back first, I need to buy something."

"Hm? Oh that sword? I'll buy it for you."

"No I'll buy it for you Kurokochi!"

"Shut up Kise! _I'm_ buying it for Tami."

They entered into a heated staring contest, when the tense silence was broken by Kuroko.

"It's okay, I'm buying it for someone's birthday."

The three of them perked up at this and started to scroll through everyone's birthday, trying to figure out who it was for. Coming up blank they stared at Tamiko questionably.

"It's for Ogiwara -kun."

Aomine and Murasakibara's faces instantly soured while Kise looked at them in confusion.

"Kurokochi, who's Ogiwara-kun?"

"He's my brother."

"EEEEHHHHHH? YOU HAVE A BROTHER?!"

Aomine slapped him on the head, "Stop yelling, you're being a public disturbance!"

"Not like you aren't," Kise mumbled.

"HAH?! I dare you say that again!" the bluenette shouted while grinding his fist into the top of the blond's head.

"KUROKOCHIIIIII~ HELP MEEEEEE!"

Tamiko popped another vanilla candy into her mouth and turned around to bargain for the sword.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH KUROKOCHIIIII IS IGNORING ME!"

Sighing, Tamiko turned towards Kise with her eyebrow twitching in annoyance. She shoved a piece of candy into his mouth to shut him up and then walked away with the sword in hand.

…

"D-Did Tami just share her _vanilla flavored candy_ with Kise?" Aomine asked dumbfounded.

Murasakibara nodded dumbly in agreement. "Kuro-chin **never** shares when it's vanilla…"

They both glared at the blond who was innocently tasting the sweet. He smiled sheepishly and tried to make a run for it but Murasakibara caught him by the back of his shirt, holding him in place. "It's not fair," he grumbled. "I want Kuro-chin to feed me too," he said in irritation. The bluenette started cracking his knuckles, walking towards the flailing blond. Seeking cover from the increasingly annoyed giant and the bluenette who looked like a devil ready to kill, Kise frantically looked around for Kuroko to realize she was nowhere to be seen. Just before the two of them pounced on the blond he said, "Where's Kurokochi?" It effectively stopped them in their tracks as they scanned the area looking for the girl. They widened their eyes in panic when they couldn't spot the bluenette. Running around in different directions they went through the whole square to find in horror that the phantom truly disappeared.

* * *

'I'm sorry, Minna.' Kuroko was on her horse, galloping at full speed towards Seiren. She knew she shouldn't have left them like that and that they would understand when they heard the news from Momoi and Akashi. 'Why is this happening now…'

_Kuroko strolled down the dirt path of the marketplace to head back to the arena when someone ran up to her._

_"Kuroko-sama!"_

_"Furihata-kun? What are you doing here?" Furihata is one of the best soldiers in training for Seiren. Usually trainees wouldn't leave the country until they were officially assigned a post, during their graduation._

_"They sent me in place of Tsuchida senpai. Kuroko-sama, there's trouble in Serien. We must head back immediately."_

_Kuroko's eyes turned stony as she realized how dire the situation must be for Tsuchida-kun to not be able to leave._

_"I understand," she started to walk briskly towards her horse at the outskirts of the square. "What about Kagami-kun?"_

_"He's already waiting for us to go."_

_"Do the others know?"_

_"Only Kagami-san, Momoi-san, and Akashi-sama. I went to the palace first only to realize that you weren't there. When I told them about the situation, Momoi-san quickly deduced where you might have been. We found Akashi-kun at the arena and he informed us that you were in the marketplace. He says he'll help you explain to the others so that we can leave right away._

_Kuroko nodded in understanding as she hopped onto her horse._

"Oi, Furihata. Do you know any of the details about what's happening in Seiren?" Kagami barked.

"N-No, only that there's some kind of suspicious activity in town."

Tamiko's eyes narrowed at this and she clenched the new sword tightly. 'Please be okay, everyone.'

* * *

"WHAT?! KUROKOCHI LEFT ALREADY?!"

Midorima who had regained consciousness, slapped him across the head. "Stop being so loud dammit."

Tears formed at the corners of Kise's eyes as he rubbed the back of his head. "Why do you guys all bully me?!"

"Because you're annoying…and it's fun," Aomine smirked.

Kise was about to retort when a cold voice interrupted him with a bone chilling, "Silence."

Satisfied that they were all listening to him now, Akashi said, "As you heard from Momoi just now, Tamiko had to leave because of some circumstances. We will all head back to our individual countries now."

"But Aka-chin, aren't you worried about Kuro-chin?"

"Yeah, shouldn't we check to see if she's okay or if she needs any help?" Aomine added.

"I'm sure the Black Knights can handle it," the red-head smirked. "Whoever is causing trouble for Tamiko is going to regret ever messing with her."

Everyone smiled and nodded in agreement as they thought about the fearsome yet beautiful phantom of the Generation of Miracles.

"Still up for the competition?" Aomine suddenly grinned.

"Are you stupid Ahomine? Actually don't answer that, I already know you are. The tournament ended half an hour ago," Momoi sighed.

"Eh~ Who won?!" Kise exclaimed.

"Me of course," Akashi smirked with triumph.

Kise broke down crying and wailed like a kid who just lost his mommy. Murasakibara muched aggressively on his potato chips with a foreboding _crunch_, _crunch_. Aomine had a scowl on his face and his hand twitched, wanting to punch something to relieve his anger. Midorima's glasses cracked a little and he fiddled with the bandages on his left hand. Momoi just pouted, having heard the news earlier.

Still sulking, the group made their way back to the castle on their horses. The dirt path they used as a shortcut was lined with trees on both sides. Suddenly Akashi spotted movement in the forest he was sure wasn't an animals. "Enemy on the right!" he warned. As soon as he said that, a figure clothed in black jumped out welding a knife heading straight for Kise who was at the back of the group. Not having enough time to equip himself with his sword even with the warning, he rolled off his horse to evade the attack. He stood up quickly, unsheathing his weapon at the same time. The others had stopped by then and were running towards the two of them who were exchanging swipes and jabs. Momoi threw a dagger at the man's right foot while Murasakibara skillfully made him drop his knife from behind. Midorima held back the man's left arm while Mursakibara held back his right. Aomine quickly disarmed him of the other knives strapped to his waist. The attacker growled in fury as Akashi stepped forward, face composed.

"Who are you?"

The man turned his head away and ignored him.

Akashi smirked and growled, "You really want to die don't you? If you answer all my questions the consequences will be less severe."

He turned back to stare at the red head with an amused glint in his purple eyes. "Akashi Seijurou, your downfall is coming sooner than you think."

The said person narrowed his eyes, "What makes you say that?"

"Because we know who the phantom is," he grinned.

Everyone widened their eyes in shock.

Taking this opportunity, the man swallowed something he hid in the side of his mouth. "And they're on our side…" Seconds later his body went limp and turned cold.

Akashi's heart thumped violently. 'No, it's not true; it can't be.' But it was, because Akashi didn't see anything but the truth in his eyes.

* * *

**Did you like it?! If you did please leave a review!**

**On another note...I recently realized that I keep using ~ when I talk to people...Noooooo Kise's habit is rubbing off on me!**


	7. Doubt

**Wow, it' almost been a month...I'm sincerely sorry about the very late update but school has been driving me crazy. In addition I had absolutely so idea where to take this story towards the middle of this chapter. Well, this is what I came up with after a while...I hope I'm not taking the story into the wrong direction...Since people have been asking for AkaKuro so I put a snippet of it at the very end(although you might end up hating me for it). Many thanks for the follows, favs, and lovely reviews! I was ecstatic when I hit 100 followers so I just put that energy towards brainstorming ^.^ Enough with babbling and on to the story~**

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi. I only own this story line and any OC.**

**Okay now it's really on to the story~**

* * *

TAMI-CHAAAAAAAAAAN! He launched himself at the girl and lifted her up into a bear hug. "Welcome home!"

Kuroko smiled as she was enveloped with the familiar warmth and smelled the faint scent of sunshine and grass as she buried her head into the crook of his neck. "I'm back, Shige-kun."

The brunette finally put her down and looked her over, frowning when he saw Kuroko's shoulder twitching slightly from pain. "What happened?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

"It's nothing, just a little injury when we got into a fight."

"Define 'we'," a deep scowl now etched onto his face.

Tamiko glanced to the right, not meeting his eyes, like a child getting scolded by his mother. "…the others against Haizaki," she mumbled.

"They we all there and they let you get hurt?!" he growled.

"Shige-kun, don't worry about this anymore. You know I'm bound to get hurt doing what I do, beside we have other matters to deal with," she said firmly.

He sighed and gave up reluctantly, closing his eyes as he did so. His eyebrows slowly smoothed out, and when he opened his eyes again it was cold and serious. In an instant he had turned from an overprotective brother to one of Seiren's top soldiers. He didn't beat around the bush and bluntly said, "Since you've left a week ago, there's been suspicious activities in town. Koganei and Mitobe's been busy investigating and they found out that the citizens are in a panic because people have been disappearing. It started soon after you left and the people disappearing are increasing day by day. We've tried capturing the kidnapper but he's an expert at escaping. When we did manage to corner him, Hyuga and Kiyoshi were barely able to hold their ground against him."

Tamiko narrowed her eyes, "It's only one person causing this chaos?"

"Yes."

'This is bad; Hyuga and Kiyoshi is one of our best duo combos and even they couldn't take down this person…I'll have to look into it.' "Have you gotten any leads on this person?"

"No, only that he always heads to the northern forest but we always lose track of him."

"Where are the others?"

"They're all patrolling around the city, looking for the kidnapper and protecting the people to the best of their abilities. With the Black Knights out and about, the people feel a sense of security but they've been getting fidgety since the intruder still hasn't been captured."

Kuroko nodded as she mumbled to herself, "But why Seiren…"

"Oh, it's not only us. All the others have been attacked too with the exception of the Generation of Miracles."

The bluenette widened her eyes.

"Whoever we're dealing with, we definitely can't underestimate them."

"Of course," Tamiko's eyes glazed over coldly. "Akashi-kun will take the necessary measures soon. But I wonder why it took so long for the news to reach us." Her intuition warned her that things weren't as simple as they seemed and that this was only the beginning. Whoever the enemy was, they were either extremely foolish or suicidal for attacking Teikou so casually and openly. There's no doubt that Akashi will enjoy dissecting them slowly, being the sadist he was. It'll take him about two days to send troops over but Kuroko didn't have that much time to spare. Her people who she saw as a second family, was slowly disappearing and she intended to do something about it, not sit still and wait for Akashi obediently. 'I wonder how Seiho, Senshinkan, and Meikou are holding up. They're the strongest by far out of the smaller countries…There definitely isn't enough time to hold a conference, we just have to hope for the best for each other.'

"Ogiwara-kun, tell the Black Knights to assemble in the strategy room immediately."

"Yes, Kuroko-sama." He bowed and hurried off to complete his assignment. Kuroko frowned at his overly polite speech but knew it was to maintain a certain order in the palace. She sighed and strolled to the meeting place, the gears in her head turning.

XXX

Who are the Black Knights? They are the group of elites that pulled Seiren out of its crisis years ago, who continues to protect the country to this day. Five years ago when the group was formed there were only seven members, but it now has ten.

Aida Riko, the core and strategist of the group. A demon disguised as an angel who put the others through rigorous training to become the skilled fighters they are. She may be a bit extreme at times but she's reliable. She has the ability to see someone's strengths and weaknesses when she looks at their body, putting her in an extreme advantage when making tactics. A first class fighter who prefers hand to hand combat and often stirs up deadly concoctions when 'cooking' makes her respected and feared in the group. Making her your enemy is not a wise choice unless you want to be beaten to a pulp, especially if you comment on her childish figure.

Next is Hyuga Junpei, the short tempered captain and the mental support of the group. He's usually calm and the one people go to in times of trouble but beware if you rub him the wrong way like his partner usually does. His personality will instantaneously change and he'll become loud and demanding. This usually happens when they're in a pinch and his abilities will improve drastically, never missing his opponent with his sharp strikes. He has a love-hate relationship with his partner that's rooted from their past. His style focuses on mainly offense, waiting for an opening and then striking, like a snake.

Kiyoshi Teppei is Hyuga's trusted partner. He is the founder of the group and was originally supposed to be captain but declined the offer, thinking Hyuga was more suited for the position. He is the emotional support of the group who keeps them going no matter how hopeless the situation is. He has a cheery disposition and a grin that you can't help smiling back at. He's a well rounded fighter, with both a strong offense and defense. His abilities make him almost on par with the Generation of Miracles but unfortunately he's still a step behind. He's nicknamed Iron Heart and is one of the crownless generals.

Izuki Shun along with Kiyoshi and Koganei, brightens up the atmosphere surrounding the group with his lovable yet annoying personality. He's a strategist, but only for himself since he plans his tactics on the spot. Possessing the 'Eagle Eye' he can mentally switch his perspective to whichever way he wants. His fighting style is heavy on defense and then switches to offense. He observes his opponents to grasp their style to spot their openings and weak spots. He then whips up an effective way to counter them in mere seconds. His style can be risky but he has the abilities to back it up so he can take care of himself.

Reserved and whose voice has never been heard, Mitobe Rinnosuke. He 'speaks' with the other members with nods or hand gestures and the only one who can 'hear' him is Koganei, who often translates for him. His style focuses heavily on defense, so he fights with a long spear and daggers.

Koganei Shinji has an energetic personality, which when put together with Kiyoshi and Izuki's, drives the captain crazy. He's often paired up with Mitobe on missions, not that he minds, since he's the only one who can understand him. He can wield most weapons which makes him a dangerous opponent since he can attack from any range although his accuracy is at most, average. His style is well balanced, with an equal amount of offense and defense.

Tsuchida Satoshi is the final member of the original group. He is quiet, but not as much as Mitobe. Like Koganei, his style is balanced but he strikes aggressively when his opponent makes a wrong move.

Kuroko Tamiko joined the group a year after it was formed, adding immense firepower to the group. She helped the others execute the plan and dug Seiren out of the hole that it had put itself in to restore order. Elected as ruler by the other members when they saw her potential and with the approval of the citizens, she became queen of Seiren. She serves as the general and strategist along with Riko.

Ogiwara Shigehiro is Kuroko's adopted brother. He loves to eat and has a cheerful disposition. Finding his love and passion for fighting from his sister, he quickly excelled in it and joined the group along with her. His fighting has a base of solid fundamentals from his endless practice, making his offense and defense stronger than the average person's. He usually fights with a sword but sometimes uses a spear.

Lastly is Kagami Taiga who recently joined a year ago. He moved to Seiren from across seas. Along with Kuroko they are the physical support that holds up the group. Although he can be hot-headed, short tempered and brash, with a little scolding from Kuroko he can be very reliable at times of need. His fighting style is mostly, if not all offense. He goes at his opponents head on with his incredible strength and agility. He often dives into a fight without thinking of the consequences first. Fighting with his heart rather than his mind is what captured Kuroko's attention in the first place to requite him into the group.

As a whole, the Black Knights are a deadly force to be feared. Many other countries never expected a small country like Seiren to have such a strong elite team, which ends up being the reason for their own downfall and defeat. Nobody suspected Tamiko to be the phantom however, because the sixth person didn't exist yet.

XXX

"Akashi? What did you see?" Midorima asked, his voice laced with concern. It was rare for the greenette to express his feelings so openly but this was an exception because **the** Akashi Seijurou who always wore a composed mask looked absolutely horrified. The others watched as his expression turned into a calculating one as he glared at the corpse of the attacker. His face finally relaxed into a calm and collected state as he met the eyes of his friends. "Excuse me, it seems I overreacted a bit."

"About what Aka-chin?"

The red head cleared his throat and he said in a cold voice, "He wasn't lying."

A suffocating atmosphere surrounded them as they collectively remembered what he had said, "_…we know who the phantom is and they're on our side."_

A sinking feeling filled their hearts as they all, with the exception of the Kise, remembered that day three years ago. They all doubted the bluenette a little with what happened back then but they had managed to push it to the back of their minds. They convinced themselves that it was an illusion and even ended up falling in love with her one by one. They believed that their relationship was genuine, fixed, but what if it wasn't whole in the first place? Without having a solid foundation wouldn't it someday crumble? Before they can ponder about it anymore, the silence was broken by a certain blond.

"That's impossible! Kurokochi would never betray us," Kise demanded. He glanced around at the others, confused and mad that he saw uncertainty and doubt in their eyes. "Although I just met her I could already tell that she values her friends a lot and would never turn her back on them."

Ah, that's right. What were they doing? Doubting their beloved phantom because of a stupid bluff and letting a newbie reassure them with a few simple words. Kuroko Tamiko wasn't that type of person. It went against her morals and principles. She fights for what she believes in and has endless perseverance. She would never betray her friends, it was a solid fact that they all knew.

"For once, Ryouta's right." The said person pouted but didn't interrupt the red head. "It doesn't make any sense. If Tamiko truly allied with the enemy then why would they blow her cover? This is obviously a bluff even though he wasn't lying."

"Hah? How'd that possible?" Aomine asked.

"His higher-ups could've lied to him, making him believe that they really did know the phantom's identity when in reality they're just trying to unnerve us."

Midorima nodded with a thoughtful expression. "Since they knew our faces, there's a high possibility it was royalty."

"No, I'm certain it is." Met with questioning looks the red-head added, "Intuition and I'm always right."

"Wait, but what if someone saw Kurokochi with us, like in town just now? Wouldn't they automatically think that she's the phantom?"

Everyone stared blankly at him, waiting for the idiot to understand. Kise blinked owlishly and said, "What?"

"Kise-chin, you're so slow," Murasakibara sighed.

"Did you forget people usually can't see her, stupid?!" Aomine scoffed.

"Oh, how come you guys can then?"

"It took us a full month to get use to her weak presence. We can see her most of the time, but she slips by sometimes," Momoi explained helpfully.

Kise nodded in understanding before looking back at the fallen attacker anxiously.

"Oi, you don't have to worry about him. It's probably some idiot with a loud bark and no bite."

"But don't you find it weird that this happened at the same time there's something going on in Seiren," Midorima asked while pushing up his glasses.

"There's something weird going on…" Momoi muttered.

"Let's head back before discussing this further," Akashi commanded, leaping up onto his horse. "We should send troops to Seiren for backup as soon as possible to check up on what's happening."

"Hai!" the others simultaneously responded.

They usually didn't have to worry about Kuroko since she can handle most situations herself but their heads spun from unease this time.

XXX

XXX

"Is he up yet?"

"No, but it should almost be time."

"You remember what we have to do right?"

"Of course, besides it's not like it's a lot since he set everything up already." They both grinned manically as they recalled their last conversation with _him_.

_"What's the next step?"_

_A dark chuckle resounded through the throne room as he leered down at his subordinate. "You don't have to worry about that because we just have to let everything play out."_

_"Eh? What do you mean?"_

_"Hmm, just let those idiots do the work as they play into my palms."_

_They shivered at the calculating and amused look on the other's face._

_"Shall I tell you exactly what's going to happen?" he smirked._

XXX

Arriving at Touou castle, they were met with a panting Hayama Kotaro who had just arrived moments before. Mibuchi and Nebuya stood beside him with worried expressions.

"Kotaro? Why are you here?" Akashi asked, jumping off his horse. He had sent him as a representative for negotiations with the neighboring continent in the east. According to his calculations he shouldn't be back until the day after tomorrow, yet here he was, looking as if he just ran a marathon. Regaining his composure and finally catching his breath he started his report. "Akashi-sama, the negotiations with Kinga in Kamata has gone as planned but I rushed back after hearing alarming news when I was passing through Seiho and Senshinkan."

_"First Hayama Kotaro will warn Akashi about the kidnappings in the other countries."_

"People are disappearing and from what I've heard, it isn't only Seiho and Senshinkan. I believe **all** the smaller countries are facing the same dilemma."

Akashi's eyes narrowed, "How long has this been happening?"

"A week."

Now he was certain, there was definitely someone interfering to make sure the news didn't reach him for as long as possible. "How severe is it?"

"I estimate about a hundred people from each country but the kidnappings are occurring more and more frequently by the day. In addition the kidnappers are highly skilled and have yet to be captured."

The other countries were by no means weak and if they were having so much trouble catching them then how with Seiren hold out?

"_Then Akashi will send troops out reluctantly since he can't personally see to his phantom's safety."_

Akashi hated that he couldn't be by Kuroko's side to personally assist her since he had other responsibilities, which included maintaining his vast empire. He gritted his teeth slightly and then fired out orders. "Daiki, Shintarou, and Atsushi head back to your individual kingdoms immediately and send out troops to help. Ryouta, go back to Kaijo and make sure there's no suspicious activity. They seem to be targeting the weaker countries and Kaijo's not in the best condition right now so it will probably be the next target. Kotaro and Eikichi, look around in Kirisaki and Kamata for any suspicious movements. Reo send out the second and third squads."

Everyone gulped as they saw Akashi's eyes glaze over coldly like a dangerous animal's. You want a fight? You've got one, and you're sadly mistaken if you think you can come out sane.

XXX

_Groooooowl_

"Kagami, you're too loud."

"Sorry, it's not like I could control my stomach," he retorted, "I haven't eaten since early afternoon."

The brunette sighed and turned back around to watch for the signal.

"Are they coming yet?"

"No, but they should be soon. He always attacks around this time."

It's currently eleven at night and one could find Kagami and Ogiwara in the northern forest of Seiren. At a strategy meeting earlier that day, Kuroko and Riko established their plan quickly so that they could execute it on the same day. Kuroko, Hyuga, Kiyoshi, Izuki, Mitobe, Koganei, and Tsuchida were stationed throughout town. Whoever sees the criminal first would signal the others closest to them for assist. They were to force them to enter the forest from the east, where Kagami and Ogiwara were waiting. This plan relies heavily on the bluenette since her observation skills are by far the best in the group. For the past few days, the others noticed that the attacker aims for the town square where there were the most people. It seems as if he liked announcing his presence and terrorizing the people as he picked his next victim. With the high probability that he would show up there again, Tamiko was stationed there.

Kuroko was situated behind a small house where she could see the town square. People were packing up their goods and stalls furiously, trying to get to the safety of their houses before _he_ appeared. Business was always the best in the late evening when people went shopping after a day of work but less and less people were willing to take the risk as fear overtook their senses. Kuroko kept a watchful eye on the townspeople as she remembered what Riko had said before.

_"If possible prevent him from taking someone so that they won't get involved in the fight. If he does though, we know for certain that he'll head to where the rest of the hostages are. He'll go into the forest like always but lead him to the east. Kagami and Ogiwara will be there for immediate assist if the others can't catch up in time. As soon as you're about a few hundred feet in, make it seem like you lost track of him. Well, you don't really need to try since people can't sense your presence anyways…"_

Just as she was getting impatient Kuroko spotted a dark silhouette lurking around the alley by a stall where a young boy was helping his parents clean up. Certain that this was the person who was causing trouble recently, she swiftly made her way over. She broke into a run when the person grabbed the boy from behind, hand over his mouth. Furious, Tamiko promptly slashed the intruder's arm and legs. He let out a surprised grunt and released his grip on the boy. Regaining his composure surprisingly fast, he equipped himself with a knife as he whipped around to face his opponent. Bewildered that he found no one there, he started to turn around when a dagger slice through the air, cutting his cheek. Growling, he took a slash at the empty space. Blinking several times after seeing no one again, he nearly had a heart attack when he met a pair of cold blue eyes. As much as Kuroko wanted to kill him on the spot, she restrained herself since her first priority was to get him to lead her to where the hostages were. As soon as he finally noticed her she ducked to the right and slashed at his leg but he jumped up effortlessly to avoid the attack. He switched to a long sword like Kuroko and started to swiping and jabbing at her to no avail. She smoothly avoided his wicked sword while continuously throwing small daggers at him with her left hand. Annoyed that his victim got away and this pest was taking up so much of his time, he smirked and dashed towards the forest where he knew she would lose track of him. He ignored the throbbing in his leg and when he glanced back expecting the mysterious girl to be no where in sight, he was shocked to find that she seemed to be keeping up with him in ease.

Tamiko's eyes glinted mischievously as she wasn't even running at half of the speed she could. She kept her eyes locked onto her target, refusing to lose sight of him. Kuroko leaped up onto the rooftops of the houses after the kidnapper just as she caught sight of two silhouettes running a little ways behind her from the corner of her eye. 'Good, they saw the signal.' Shortly after she started running after the intruder, she had set off a special flare to alert the others. It was a small piece of mineral called Tynzrite that was only found in the soil in Seiren. It was highly combustible and when set aflame would burn out quickly. The bright flame that lasted for a few seconds was enough to signal the others when Tamiko threw it up high above her. Sparing another glance at her companions, she recognized them to be Hyuga and Mitobe from their physiques. They flanked her on either side and started to close in on their target. Kuroko, being the quickest went to the left so that she could force the intruder to go to the east as she pressured him. Hyuga and Mitobe did their best to support her and they knew that they succeeded when they approached the forest where they knew Kagami and Ogiwara were. Kuroko sent out another signal to warn the two in the woods. As soon as they dove into the darkness of the forest, Kagami and Ogiwara joined them to chase after him. A few minutes in they slowed down and turned to Kuroko, waiting for her to lead. She gave them a silent nod, which they knew meant that she had done her job of injuring him enough that he would have to slow down sooner or later before he reached his hideout that they knew was deep inside the forest. Everyone muted their footsteps to the best of their abilities as they swiftly followed Kuroko who was the only one who could still see the kidnapper making his way through the dense woods.

He slowed down to a jog, thinking he had lost them like usual. He was in pain from the injuries inflicted by Kuroko but knew he couldn't leave the hostages unattended to in case they stirred up trouble so he forced himself to continue his way to the hideout. After a few miles of trekking through the forest, with only the moonlight to light up the path a bit, he sighed in relief when his camp came in sight. That was when he stiffened from the sudden feeling of cold metal against his neck.

"Move a single muscle and you'll be dead." Few things scared him but this monotone voice sent dread throughout his body as he forced himself to obey her orders. Wait, her? That was when he caught sight of a familiar shade of blue hair from the corner of his eye and realized in shock that it was the same girl as before. She glared at him with menace in her eyes as she gave orders, eyes never leaving him.

"Ogiwara, check for any other immediate dangers in case he has companions. If the coast is clear, secure the safety of the hostages with Kagami." They nodded and hurried off to complete their tasks. He widened his eyes in shock when he recognized their names. According to his superior, Kagami Taiga was second in command after the queen and Ogiwara Shigehiro was one of the elite's part of the Black Knights. If they're obeying this girl that held him at knife point then she must be the queen. His comrades informed him earlier today that the ruler of Seiren is the phantom of the Generation of Miracles. Although he knew he would come face to face with the phantom eventually, he was still astonished that it was actually a girl. 'So it's you huh?'

_"Once we find out the identity of the phantom you can release the hostages from all the countries expect his. The others aren't needed; I only require the phantom to win the upcoming war. _

_"Wait, then why did we attack the other countries if we're going to release all the hostages anyways?"_

_His companion smacked him across the head while their superior watched with an amused expression. "Isn't it obvious? It's so that the Generation of Miracles won't suspect that we know who the phantom is, or will anyways. Plus it'll be a bigger distraction."_

_"But didn't we send someone to tell them that we do know who the phantom is?"_

_His superior chuckled, the sound echoing around the room. "I felt like playing with them a bit. They can even call it a favor since I gave them such a nice warning but I'm sure they won't believe us."_

_The two gulped, reminding themselves never to make him their enemy._

_Even though he was a bit frightened, his curiosity got the better of him. He managed to muster up his last bit of courage and said, "B-but sir, how'll we get to talk to the phantom and convince him to side with us?"_

_The king grinned as he tapped a steady rhythm on the arm of his chair. "As a first class fighter we know that he'll lead the expedition to eliminate the kidnapper. An opportunity to talk to him will present itself when he captures and interrogates our comrade."_

"Ne, why are you siding with the Generation of Miracles?" Tamiko narrowed her eyes in fury. She swiped his legs out from under him and twisted his arms to the back, bringing her knife to his throat again. She was supposed to be the one with the questions, not him.

"Because they're better than scum like you," she growled as she dug her knee into his calf, pinning him down.

After hissing in pain, he started chuckling manically. "Really? Doesn't it hurt your pride that you have to depend on them? Don't you want the power to rise above them?"

Getting annoyed, Tamiko pushed her knife harder against his throat, a thin stream of blood flowing down to his collarbone.

He cringed in pain but forced himself to continue as he rasped out, "You should stop lying to yourself. I know that you hate the Generation of Miracles from the bottom of your heart."

"I have no reason to hate them. They haven't harmed my people like _certain _people," Tamiko said darkly.

"Hmph, this? It was just to show you our power; after all it's more effective to show you the extent of our power than for you to listen to me ramble on. This way you can't deny the truth, we _are_ strong enough to overthrow the Generation of Miracles." 'When we have you in our grasp that is…'

"That's just your silly delusion; no one is strong enough to even present them a challenge."

"Heh, did you forget about the crownless generals? They give them a hard enough time and Kiyoshi Teppei wasn't even strong enough to give me a scratch."

Tamiko gritted her teeth,unable to deny what he just said.

_"Rouse his curiosity…" _

He continued with a smirk plastered on his face. "What if there was a whole army of soldiers like me who are on par with the crownless generals?"

Tamiko widened her eyes in horror. "T-that's impossible."

He grinned at the hesitance in her voice knowing she was starting to fall for his lies. 'Just a little more…' "You can deny all you want but it's the truth. You can either stick to the Generation of Miracles and be on the losing side or join me to rise in glory."

_"…that way he'll pretend to side with us to attain more information."_

Tamiko has no intention of going against her friends but if she could find out more information… "Who exactly am I joining?"

_"And bring her to the meeting place."_

"Hmm, so you've changed your mind?"

Tamiko gulped as she tried to sound as convincing as possible. She knew it wasn't right, but she let her memories from three years ago flash behind her eyes to produce pure hate and disgust in her voice. Her heart throbbed with pain as she remembered those painful times and she spoke her true feelings from then. "What are you talking about? They turned out to be the type of people I hate the most. I'm disappointed that I used to look up to them in the past."

He smiled in triumph; as always _his_ predictions were always spot on. Confused at the sincerity in her voice his thoughts wandered off. 'You may be pretending but you sound so genuine; I wonder if you really do hate them… But either way the phantom is now caught in the trap.' He snapped back to reality when her cold voice sent shivers down his back.

"I want nothing to do with them. I **hate** them."

XXX

_"Kurokochi would never betray us."_

It went against her morals and principles. She fights for what she believes in and has endless perseverance. She would never betray her friends, it was a solid fact that they all knew. But…was that really the case? How much did they really know? They only had a glimpse of who she really was. They didn't know anything about her. Her private life was shrouded in mystery and she never uttered a word about her past from before she met them. Aomine and Momoi may have provided some insight since they were childhood friends but according to them, Kuroko from the past and the Kuroko now seems like two completely different people. What happened those few years?

Why won't you open up to us?

_"…she values her friends a lot and would never turn her back on them."_

Aren't we friends? Wait, were we friends to begin with? That was what was on the surface but no one questioned how deep their relationship really was because they were scared to find out the truth.

_"I'm happy with what I have right now."_

'Tamiko you liar…' Akashi leaned against a tree that was a few feet away from his beloved bluenette, hidden from view where he heard the whole conversation. Anger and sadness flickered in his eyes as tears dripped down his face.

The seed of doubt was planted three years ago and it has finally seen the light, sprouting slowly but surely.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the story!Leaving a review would be nice ;D**

**The poll is finally up so go vote! (Although I can kinda predict the results...)**

**Edited 11/11/13**


	8. Shattered Hope

**IMPORTANT: Due the confusion with the last chapter I've edited it making some major changes to the plot in the process so please read that before reading this chapter. The changes were made mainly in the second half of the chapter so you don't have to reread the whole thing.**

**Thank you to all those who followed, favorited, or reviewed! They really provide me with the motivation to keep writing, especially you awesome reviewers! Seeing all your reviews made me really happy and encouraged me to give you this chapter asap but I was plagued with writer's block for nearly two weeks...I finally made a breakthrough yesterday so now here it is! **

**Please stay tuned for the A/N afterwards because I replied to each of your comments, now enjoy~**

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi, I only own this story line and any OCs.**

* * *

Somewhere in the back of his mind Akashi always knew this day would come; the day when their relationship would crumble into sand and be whipped away in the wind, nowhere to be seen ever again.

Akashi previously planned to stay at the castle to keep track of everything that's been going on and to lead the troops if the situation worsened any further. That was a wave of unease hit him. All his senses tingled, telling him something bad was going to happen. The nagging feeling in the back of mind and that suffocating feeling in his chest intensified when he thought about a certain bluenette. His instincts were never wrong and they told him to head to Seiren immediately. He looked at the position of the sun and muttered a curse. It was late afternoon and it would be well into the night by the time he got there. He made up his mind to go anyways, as long as he could be by his phantom's side to make sure she was fine he would be content, even if it cost him his empire. He knew his decision was foolish; his territory was suffering from an attack and he was off finding a girl, but he knew that if he didn't go he would regret it. He trusted Reo to make the right decisions in his steed but his pride and responsible side never let him trot off to deal with personal affairs while Teikou was in chaos. For once, he decided to be selfish and he didn't regret it at all…that is until he heard Tamiko.

_"I want nothing to do with them. I __**hate **__them."_

Akashi would've never believed it if he didn't hear it himself. He had trained himself to detect when a person was lying in order to get rid of untrustworthy officials. That was how he ended up stifling his sobs, after hearing Tamiko's ice cold voice. No matter how much he willed his ears to hear that underlying tone that told him she was lying, he couldn't find it. It was genuine; her hate, her disgust. His whole body trembled and his eyes were widened from disbelief. He knew he shouldn't be surprised by this turn of events, it was to be expected from the way he and the other members of the Generation of Miracles treated her back then. What they did was unforgivable, disgusting. Despite their rocky start Akashi and the others began to see her as a true companion. Tamiko had opened up their eyes to so many things that they refused to take notice of before. Akashi even genuinely began trusting people and became a better leader because of that. She made him happy, sad, excited, nervous, depressed; emotions he never felt before. That was when he finally realized that he had fallen in love with her. He knew that it was dangerous because if she didn't recuperate his feelings not only would his heart be broken but he himself as a person would be broken, useless. You're vulnerable when you fall in love, you see nothing but that person, think about them all day, and see them as ideal, perfect. You would watch their every action and it would affect you so much that you wouldn't be able to stop blushing at the sight.

He was foolish to think that she had forgiven him; as they say, love makes you a fool. Anyone sane would never forget or forgive that kind of treatment she was given. Even if everyone tried to make it up to her over the past two and a half years it still wasn't the same. They knew that they scarred her deeply and the guilt weighed down on them everyday. They tried to cover it up by showering her with affections but they still didn't know what she truly thought of them. Her blank blue eyes were difficult to read and she could hide all her emotions at will. She had opened up lately so they thought everything was getting better, that maybe she finally forgave them, but…

_"I __**hate**__ them."_

These words kept echoing in Akashi's head over and over again taunting him, challenging him to deny them. But he couldn't. Her ice cold tone rang in his ears, truth in every single word. The initial reaction would be anger at the betrayal but he didn't have the right to feel that way after treating her that way three years ago. If anything he was relieved. He had suspected that something like this would happen one day and waiting for this day was like waiting for a ticking time bomb to go off. You knew it was there but you had no way of knowing how to prevent it from killing you. No matter how much you tried to mentally prepare yourself that you were going to die, you were still going to feel desperate. That was exactly how Akashi felt right now, he felt like dying. He had expected to feel hurt but never knew being heartbroken was this painful. The suffocating feeling in his chest wouldn't go away and the tears wouldn't stop streaming down his face. Being forced to admit that their 'happy' memories from these past several years were fake was too much to bear. Reality was practically screaming in his face, "Here I am!" and he had no choice but to accept it no matter how much his heart hurt. It was time to stop lying to himself with silly delusions like love and friendship. It was finally time to let go of his beloved bluenette.

What he was witnessing was an act of treason but he has no intention of arresting the bluenette. Deciding that he owed her at least his much, he overlooked it and intended for her to escape. 'This is my apology Tamiko. If you truly wish to be enemies then so be it. The next time we meet we'll be enemies, and I don't intend to hold back. Goodbye…' He wiped his tears away and disappeared into the shadows, never looking back.

* * *

"Kuroko, we've gathered all the hostages. We need to head back," Kagami reported.

"Okay. Did you set off a flare to inform the other knights that the mission was a success?"

"Yes, they should be arriving any minute now to help us guide everyone back."

"Kagami, I need to interrogate him further so can guys can head back first."

The stranger pouted and said, "It's not _him_, it's Takano Shuuji."

Tamiko and Kagami both glared at him, with the former punching him across the head.

"Itai!"

"Shut up, it's not your place to talk right now. With all the trouble you've given us I really want to kill you on the spot," Kagami growled.

"Kagami-kun, don't be rash. He holds...interesting information and we need everything we can get." A mischievous glint present in her eyes, she held Takano down while Kagami bond his arms together with a wide grin. Pulling him up roughly, Tamiko held her knife with its tip poking his back slightly in warning. "If you dare try to escape, I'll hunt you down and kill you without blinking an eye."

Kagami smirked seeing that she had the situation under control, but turned back to Kuroko with confusion in his eyes. "Why don't we take him back for interrogation like usual?"

Tamiko tensed up internally but kept her face composed. She smoothly lied, "There isn't going to be a lot I can get from him so mind as well finish the job quickly and head back. Plus he's already getting on my nerves and I don't see any other use for him…" Kagami's eyes lit up when he realized what she was hinting at, but his eyebrows furrowed almost immediately after, taken aback by the coldness in her voice.

"Guide everyone back along with Ogiwara. I'll follow as soon as I'm done. Oh, and try to find Hyuga and Mitobe on the way back, they're probably still wandering around lost."

"Are you sure you don't want either Ogiwara or myself to accompany you? He's rather dangerous…"

Kagami widened his eyes when Tamiko smiled. "It's alright, I can handle him myself." Her voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. 'I shouldn't bother Kagami-kun by involving him in this. I really want to do something myself to help them, they've been spoiling me too much recently.' (1)

Kagami nodded without a single complaint and faded into the shadows of the trees. Trudging along to complete his task, Kagami's mind wandered off as an uneasy feeling took over. It wasn't his place to speak against Kuroko but he couldn't help feeling like something was off. He brushed it off as his silly hallucination from his lack of food and sleep and continued along. After all, it's Kuroko so she could handle herself right? Oh, if only Kagami knew how wrong he was…

* * *

After making sure that Kagami and the others were already on their way back, Kuroko turned to Takano with a ghost of a smile. "Care to explain more about what you were talking about before?"

"Well, I'd appreciate it if you'd remove that knife first. We're on the same side so there's no need for you to be so wary of me."

'It'll be suspicious if I'm too trusting…' Tamiko narrowed her eyes but slowly pulled back her knife. "Who knows? Maybe this is all a scam and you were sent by Akashi to reveal all potential traitors."

Takano surprised Kuroko by letting out a bitter chuckle. "Me, a spy from Akashi? Ha! That would never happen, I hate him as much as you do." His eyes darkened considerably even though there was a smile plastered on his face.

'So he holds a grudge against Akashi-kun…better take this opportunity to find out more.'

"…Why do you hate him?"

'Hmph, you're being so straightforward with your investigation. If you think I'm this easy to take down then you've got another thing coming.'

"It's a long story," he brushed off casually. "Now then, if you want to find out the details of our plan to overthrow the Generation of Miracles then follow me."

'This is a risk but there's a really good chance of finding out more.' Confident that she could withhold any attackers with the firm resolution to help her friends, she followed Takano.

* * *

As they made their way deeper into the forest, Kuroko stayed alert for any attackers. She kept her hand against the handle of her knife, ready to unsheathe it at a moments notice. Right before Kuroko was sure they were going to hit the border that Seiren shared with Nozomi, Kuroko spotted something glowing brightly. Walking closer she realized it was a campfire, but no one was there…

_"…bring her to the meeting place. Then do whatever you can to capture her."_

Tamiko stiffened when Takano suddenly stopped in front of her and turned around slowly. The flames from the campfire cast eerie shadows across his blank expression. His face then morphed into an apologetic look and he said, just above a whisper, "Sorry."

At that exact same moment five other presences made themselves known as they all pounced on Kuroko. Kuroko unsheathed her knife, knowing her sword would be not useful is such a cramped space while ducking. She used a burst of speed to escape the ambush but just barely. Kuroko pulled out another knife that was hidden in her boot and immediately ran towards her opponents at full speed. 'I was foolish to get my hopes up…If I can't get them to willingly tell me more information then I'll make them.' Equipped with a knife in each hand she slashed wildly, intending to take them down before they could regain their footing. Knowing they were skilled fighters she concentrated on the match, clearing her head of anything else. She sparred with someone on her left while trusting her knife forward at her opponent on the right, managing to give them a deep cut. Sensing that someone was approaching from the back she spun around quicker than any of them could react to slash the opponent she had been sparring with, giving them a gash across their chest while kicking the one who was previously behind her in the groin. Taking advantage of the fact that he was now crumpled on the floor in pain whimpering, she knocked him out with the blunt end of her knife. With two now unconscious, Tamiko now made her way to the one she had cut before. Her opponent widened his eyes in surprise when she disappeared from sight. Turning three-sixty and still unable to find her he began shaking uncontrollably. He had heard stories about facing the phantom but this was more than nerve wracking, it was a downright nightmare. Kuroko materialized from behind him to give him a deep slash, watching with a stony face as he dropped to the floor. She glanced up to notice in anger that the other two along with Takano were merely watching the fight like it was a show; as if it weren't their companions being beaten to a pulp right in front of them. A blond whose bangs covered his eyes was casually chewing on a piece of gum and blowing bubbles. He smirked at Kuroko and said, "Hm, not bad at all. I see why he wants you now."

The other person who has orange hair, turned and scowled at the blond. "Hara! We're not here to have fun and play games. We need to head back soon or he's going to have our heads."

"Hai, hai," Hara sing songed. "You really need to learn to loosen up sometimes though Yamazaki."

"Are you crazy?! Don't you know who we're dealing with?"

"Course I do." He slowly approached the bluenette who was now as still as a statue. But if one looked close enough you can see her trembling with anger. Her eyes were lit up with a fire as she closely observed her opponents, analyzing how to best take them down. Hara circled around Kuroko in a taunting way, adding fuel to the fire.

"Who are you?" Tamiko asked in a dangerously calm voice. "Why do you want to kill me?"

Hara grinned showing a full set of white teeth. "It seems you've misunderstood. We simply wanted to see your strength for ourselves."

"Yep, sorry about not warning you before," Takano muttered sheepishly, "but everyone who wants to join our side has to be proven worthy."

'Such a smooth liar as always," Hara and Yamazaki thought simultaneously.

Kuroko narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Didn't I prove myself when I put you at knife point?"

Hara burst out laughing while Yamazaki let out a snicker. Takano blushed in embarrassment and stuttered, "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

Tamiko deadpanned. 'What the hell is with this carefree atmosphere? We're supposed to be killing each other right now…Or do they seriously think I still want to join them? No, it's too dangerous to play around with them any longer, I better end this now.'

"I'll ask you again, who are you?"

"You'll find out soon enough, phantom of the Generation of Miracles," Hara smirked.

The bluenette felt her heart drop several feet at her nickname. 'H-how…' Knowing she was in danger and realizing that they were playing with her all along she set off into a run again.

_"It's impossible to beat the phantom head on but no matter how invincible a person may seem they always have a weak point. And I'm sure that __**he**__ knows where the phantom's is."_

Tamiko grimaced when she realized she couldn't use misdirection.

_"Hah? You still want to know more?"_

_"Of course, this is the phantom we're talking about! We need as much information as possible but first and foremost, does she have any weaknesses?"_

_"Hmm, that'd probably be her family and friends since she'd never forgive anyone who hurts them." His eyes suddenly lit up when he remembered something. His lips twisted into a smile. "Hey, if I tell you what do I get out of it?"_

_"You'll need to talk to __**him**__ about it but __**he'll**__ undoubtedly reward you nicely for your cooperation."_

_He looked at the other with suspicion written all over his face._

_"Didn't we already save your life? You know you can trust him since we both hate them."_

_"Tch, fine. But if I'm not happy with my reward later I'm gonna fucking kill you."_

_"Hai, hai now tell us already."_

_"Kuroko uses a technique called misdirection where she distracts her opponents so she seems invisible. It's a lethal technique and fighting style but there's a major flaw in it. It's mentally and physically taxing so she can't use it when she's too tired. And…she can only use it when she's in good condition. The worst she's injured, the less effective her misdirection."_

Kuroko gritted her teeth when she felt her shoulder wound from the other day open up from straining it too much.

_"But doesn't that mean she's unbeatable when she uses misdirection? Afterall, you can't beat someone you can't see."_

_"She usually only uses it when she's in a really bad situation but she can't use it now anyways since she has a shoulder wound. But other than that only the members of the Generation of Miracles and I can see her when she runs at full speed."_

The bluenette ran towards Hara, arm raised to stab him when she suddenly noticed another presence. She ignored it knowing they wouldn't be able to see her when she was running at full speed when she felt cold metal sink into the flesh of her lower back. She bit her lower lip to prevent herself from crying out and swiftly turned around to see who her formidable opponent was. At first Tamiko thought she was hallucinating. She nearly dropped her knives and stared wide eyed at him. 'It can't be…how?!' "H-Haizaki-kun?"

The silver- head smirked and winked at her. "Hey there princess, miss me?"

Tamiko restrained herself from belching and clutched the dagger protruding from her back, wincing as she pulled it out quickly. She frowned at the amount of blood she was losing, but thought nothing of it. It was nothing compared to what she faced back then. She glared at Haizaki accusingly and hissed, "How the hell are you still alive?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out. But now's not the time for 'Q' and 'A', he chuckled.

Haizaki dashed forward with speed rivaling that of Kuroko's normal speed, hands equipped with five daggers each. Even though Kuroko willed her body to move at its full speed, it refused to obey, the throbbing from her wounds getting worse. She still managed to dodge most of the silver- head's weapons but a few cut her arms. She realized with dismay that most of his attacks were focused on her legs, attempting to slow her down even further. She didn't have enough knives at her disposal and unable to attack Haizaki with them since he was fighting from a larger range, she whipped out her sword. That was when a loud rustle came from their left along with some shuffling. Haizaki grinned and looked at the bluenette with a challenging look in his eyes. "Sure you want to fight back Kuroko?"

Tamiko furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and then turned to the direction of the rustling when the silver-head gestured to it. A young girl, no older than eight, broke out into the small clearing with someone behind her, holding a knife to her neck. Kuroko gasped when she recognized her as one of the children she often saw running around in the square playing. Wandering into the city often, she developed strong bonds with the people, learning most of their names in the process so she easily remembered the little girl's name.

"Maki-chan?" she mumbled in horror. The girl looked at the bluenette with teary eyes, shivering. "K-K-Kuroko-sama."

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Takano, Hara, Yamazaki, and Haizaki obviously wanted to manipulate her actions by putting the girl's life on the line. She glared at the silver-head and said, "I can't believe you've fallen so low."

"You should know me better than that by now. I'll resort to all the dirty methods I can think of in order to get what I want."

There was absolutely no way she could save Maki-chan and escape from the Haizaki with her injuries so she reluctantly bit out, "What the hell do you want from me?"

He smiled in triumph. "Hand over your weapons."

Tamiko did as she was told, chucking her knives and sword over with excessive force, almost impaling Haizaki in the arm.

He grinned manically, "Now let's see how long you can last, don't fight back. If you do she's a goner."

Tamiko turned to Maki and said with a warm smile, "Close your eyes. Everything's going to be alright soon."

Shaking uncontrollably the girl started crying hysterically, "NO KUROKO-SAMAAAA!" But by then Kuroko was already facing Haizaki giving him a small nod, signaling him to start. The bluenette closed her eyes as he rushed forward, sword in hand. Cuts and bruises appeared all over her body as the silver-head mercilessly attacked her.

While Hara and Yamazaki watched with glee Takano was horrified at this turn of events. He grabbed Hara's shoulder turning him around so that he was facing him. "What the hell is going on?! This isn't part of the plan! We were just supposed to capture her, not kill her!" The blond remained unfazed even as the other screamed in his face.

"Change of plans," he said simply. "Seto finished making the new version."

Takano's eyes bulged at the news. He heard that the genius was busy developing it but to think he actually made it… "S-So you're going to let them find her after Haizaki's done with her?"

"Yep! Can't wait to see their reactions," Hara snickered darkly.

"But are you sure he can hold back? If he goes too far even _that_ won't help." He glanced worriedly at the silver-head still attacking the bluenette. Feeling nauseous all of a sudden, he clutched at the nearest tree to keep his balance.

Behind closed eyes, Kuroko was reliving all her nightmares. Searing in pain all over, she willed herself to hang onto her consciousness. 'Is that Maki-chan crying…? Don't cry, I'll be okay…I'll escape and take you back to your family, don't worry...' She collapsed in exhaustion and pain, unable to take it anymore after another round of slashes. 'Is…this…how…I'm going…to…die?' Wanting to see the world one last time she opened her eyes just as she heard someone yell, "That's enough, you're going to kill her! We still need to bring her back to _him_."

Her mind hazy from the pain, she only faintly registered that Maki-chan was now nowhere in sight and that Haizaki wasn't attacking her anymore. Before she knew what was happening, Takano propped her up so that she almost sitting upright. "Hurry up! She's about to lose consciousness, if that happens it'll be too late." Tamiko felt something being slipped into her mouth along with a cold splash of water. She widened her eyes and attempted to spit it out but Takano covered her mouth and pinched her nose, leaving her no other choice but to swallow if she didn't want to suffocate. As soon as she swallowed the pill, she felt like a fire had burst to life in her stomach stretching its flames to all parts of her body. Too tired to scream out in pain and refusing to give them the pleasure of knowing how much she was suffering she bit her lip until the taste of iron filled her mouth. It felt like her blood was boiling, cooking her alive. Her wounds throbbed with dizzying pain before they slowly faded away. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tamiko realized that she had reacted too soon. A brain numbing chill slithered its way from her heart to the tips of her fingers and toes, freezing her entire body in the process. Body numb and frozen, Tamiko found that her body was unresponsive. Still frantic, her heavy eyes lids slid closed unwillingly. Just before she blacked out, a single tear escaped from the corner of her eye. 'A..ka…shi…'

* * *

"Damn it! Where the hell are you Kuroko?" Kagami ran around in a panic looking for the missing bluenette.

In the middle of heading back, one of the villagers had cried out in panic, realizing that someone was missing. Kagami and Ogiwara had immediately went back to the hideout to look for the missing girl while the other Black Knights led everyone else back. The brunette and red-head slowly walked back to Takano's hideout looking for the girl but she was nowhere to be seen. Ending up at the camp once again they realized that they hadn't heard from Kuroko for a while. The bluenette wasn't where Kagami saw her last and if she was heading back she would've surely seen them and called out… A feeling of dread overcame them and that was how they ended up running around frantically looking for Kuroko.

In the midst of searching for the bluenette and the little girl, Ogiwara and Kagami immediately equipped themselves when they heard soft footsteps. They looked at each other in confusion when they heard sobbing. The brunette widened his eyes and looked over at Kagami, "You don't think…" Sheathing their swords but keeping their guards up they walked towards the sound to find a small girl crying her eyes out as she slowly made her way through the woods. Remembering what the others called her, Ogiwara called out gently, "Maki-chan?" Her head snapped up, eyes wide in fear. When she saw who it was she broke down crying again as she ran into the brunette's arms.

"Ogiwara-kun!" He pat her gently on the back trying to calm her down.

"Calm down, Maki. It's okay, you're safe now." He blinked in confusion when she mumbled a string of incoherent thing in between her sniffles and hiccups. "Sorry can you say that again? I couldn't hear you. Calm down and speak clearly." He smiled warmly at the girl but she burst out in a new round of tears.

"You suck at this," Kagami rolled his eyes.

"Tch, I don't even see you trying to help."

Just when Kagami was about to retort, Maki finally mumbled something they understood. Ogiwara felt his heart drop and Kagami started shaking uncontrollably when they picked up the words 'Kuroko-sama' and 'hurt'. Not picking up on the heavy atmosphere Maki said it again, thinking they didn't hear her. "K-Kuroko-sama got hurt and it was m-my fault."

"Where is she?" Kagami demanded.

Frightened by his tone, she stepped behind Ogiwara, clutching his pants. The brunette shot him a glare before turning to back the girl. Kneeling down so that he was on eye level with her, he asked gently but urgently, "You want to help Kuroko-sama right?" She nodded furiously.

"Do you know where she is?" She shook her head sadly.

"After someone took me away from the rest of the group they led me to this place where his friends were waiting." Before they could ask any more questions they heard the familiar fizzing sound of a flare being set off except it was louder than usual, much louder.

Scaling a tree to see where it was coming from Kagami widened when he saw a trail of flares in the air leading to the castle. "Emergency at the castle! We need to head back immediately!" Ogiwara nodded and picked up Maki, carrying her as he swerved through the trees in the direction of the palace.

"B-But what about Kuroko-sama?!"

"You're only heading towards the nearest location where a flare was set off to find out what happened. If they don't need our assistance but only need to inform us about something then we can come back to look for her," the brunette assured the girl. No matter how much Ogiwara was panicking inside he knew he had to remain the calm one so that he wouldn't scare Maki. 'Tami-chan, please be okay. No, you have to be.'

* * *

Arriving at the first location, they spotted Kiyoshi. "Oi, what happened?" Kagami barked. Kiyoshi was unnaturally pale and he was having difficulty swallowing the knot that had lodged itself into his throat. Unable to find his voice to break the news to them he just looked at them nervously sweating bullets despite the chilly weather. That was when Ogiwara noticed the broken look in Kiyoshi's eyes.

'N-No.' Praying that he was wrong, a desperate look made its way to his eyes. Kiyoshi took note of it and was about to speak when a raging red-head interrupted him.

"Tell us already so that we can go look for Kuroko! She's still missing!" The taller brunette's hands started to shake but he found his voice and said, "She's at the castle." Hearing the crack in his voice Kagami raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"We found her out front near the gates but…" The silence was deafening as they waited for him to continue. Ogiwara was about to faint when he heard his next words.

"We found her dead."

This can't be happening, it just couldn't. With those haunted words ringing in his ears, Ogiwara sprinted to the castle with Kagami right behind him. Asking the first person he saw at the castle of Kuroko's location he found out that she was in her room. Dashing there with no other thought then to see his dear sister, alive and well, he burst into the bluenette's room, slamming the doors open. Riko, who was sitting beside Kuroko's bed didn't even flinch when Ogiwara made his loud entrance. He rushed forward but stopped in his tracks when he saw the bloody figure of his sister. Her body was mangled, not a single part of her once beautiful pale skin unscathed. Deep cuts and dark bruises littered her body, her clothes shredded and barely intact. Hand shaking, he reached for her hand slowly, praying and hoping that he would feel that familiar warmth. The moment his hand came into contact with hers, his tiny spark of hope went out from the sheer coldness of her skin. 'T-Tamiko…'

* * *

Several hours later you can find each member of the Generation of Miracles reading a letter in their respective castles.

Kise's hands quivered uncontrollably, crushing the letter in the process. 'K-kurokochi...?'

Midorima spilled a bottle of ink, which was his lucky item of the day, over it not wanting to see the taunting words anymore. 'Kuroko…'

Aomine set the letter aflame, watching the ashes fall to the ground. 'Tami…'

Murasakibara crushed the letter in his fist, nails digging into his palm. 'Kuro-chin…'

Akashi snipped it into small pieces which fell onto the ground in a neat pile that was soon blown away by a breeze. 'Tamiko…'

**"Hey Generation of Miracles, did you like the warning I gave you last time? If you did then you'll love this one even more! I'm just getting started so prepare yourselves. I've got a whole lot of surprises waiting for you. Why don't you start off by going to see your phantom? I'm sure you'll enjoy the pleasant surprise I've prepared."**

** Anonymous**

* * *

**A/N**

**(1) In case you were confused about who Kuroko was referring to, it was the GOM.**

**Very sorry about the confusion in the last chapter! Hopefully things are clearer now. Now~**

**Faliara: Um, not sure if you like it or not but I promise it'll get better soon!**

**nhwaun1: Thanks, glad you like it!**

**hitomi65: Thank you! Seeing you comment on every chapter makes me really happy because it shows I have dedicated readers who are keeping up with my story who make me unbelievably happy.**

**kakita101: Akashi didn't realize what Kuroko was doing as you can see from this chapter. Sorry for making you misunderstand! When Akashi thinks back to when Tamiko says, "I'm happy with what I have," he's referring to their conversation in the garden.**

**imKimTheWriter: Akashi's insecurities along with his confidence in his own abilities make him unable to see the truth. As for the last part, I'll take that as a compliment! As you can already see I kinda like putting my characters into difficult situations.**

**JunAkari: In case you are still confused, Kuroko did hate the GOM but that was three years ago. She momentarily relives her memories from that time to disguise her voice. Don't worry, my stories always have happy endings, otherwise it leaves me unsatisfied.**

**Dragondoom99: Umm, thanks? As for your request, to any one who didn't notice, this is now officially an AkaKuro fic!**

**clarit: Akashi caught up to the Black Knights because it's Akashi. Leave it to him to do the impossible. Akashi showing up wasn't part of the sinister italic voice's(sorry borrowed the name ;) ) plan but it ended up working out even better for him. Yea, scratched that whole part with the other rulers, I didn't want to introduce too many characters. Thank you for the motivation and compliment! As for the name choice, the girl name which is closest to Tetsuya is Tetsumi but I find it overused and wanted to pick another name. Scrolling through japanese names starting with a 'T', Tamiko just stuck out to me so I chose to use it. I'm sorry if the name choice bothers you but it's a bit late into the story to change it so please bear with it. But please don't be afraid of giving me constructive critism, I welcome it!**

**LovelyAria: Wow, I didn't know it took that long to read my story...Time sure flies when you read. Hopefully the changes made it less confusing for you.**

**Sebby-chan3000: She was faking it in hopes of tricking and attaining more information from Takano. As I said to JunAkari, Tamiko flashes back to her memories from three years ago in order to fake it successfully. Sorry for the confusion!**

**AAAAND THERE WE HAVE IT! HOPEFULLY EVERYTHING'S CLEARED UP NOW. IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS PLEASE DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK AND PUT IT IN YOUR REVIEW!**


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